For the Mission
by AeroJester203
Summary: He woke up on the shore. He had made it. He was separated from his partner, but he made it. But when a chance encounter throws a wrench in his plans, and suddenly being transformed into a Pikachu after the accident caused by that shadow in their travel on top of that, how will he set out to complete his mission now? Mystery Dungeon: Explorers AU, main character has memories, R&R.
1. The Stranger on the Shore

**I came up with this alternate re-telling of PMD: Explorers at the risk of seeming like I'm recycling ideas, because I couldn't let it go. This time, it'll be more focused on the main story. There are heavy spoilers all throughout, and, even in the beginning, several key plot points in the game are implied. Spoiler warnings: if you care, then make sure you've played the game first, or read my first fanfiction, "A New Life" (it's not the ****_exact_**** same, but it's close). Or, if you're one of those people who just don't give a hoot about spoilers, then the story's right here.**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Stranger on the Shore

A storm raged above a small town in the world of Pokémon. Most were curious about it; there were almost never any storms. Most simply dismissed it as bad weather and tried to ignore it as they went to sleep for the night.

However, unknown to the residents of the town, there were two figures trying to weather this storm, one taller than the other. The taller one gritted his teeth; they had not expected to arrive in the middle of a thunderstorm. Of all the rotten luck!

However, the storm above the town was nothing compared to the storm that they were experiencing as they traveled. Trying to hold onto each other, after a particularly close blast of lightning, the shorter one's grip started slipping from the other's hand.

Turning his head, the latter yelled out, "No! Don't let go! Just a little longer… Come on! Hang on!"

Breathing heavily, the companion said, "N-n-no! I can't… hold on…!"

The taller one only had a moment to be confused at his partner's change in tone before he was swung around, with his partner's back facing a massive blast of energy that had been behind him before. Even though he was mostly shielded, he still felt the blast of energy past his partner's body.

He screamed out, and briefly registered his partner's grip slipping from around him before he too passed out.

* * *

The following day, on the shore of a beach near Treasure Town, a lone figure washed up on the shore. After a while, the figure started groaning and trying to wake up.

"Where am I…?" he murmured. What had happened? He remembered seeing a shadow, but he hadn't been able to see anything else before acting on instinct.

Trying to get up, he winced in pain and immediately fell to the ground, the action costing him the last bit of energy that he had. Shortly after he fell back to the ground, he passed out again.

* * *

As the sun set over Treasure Town, a lone Pokémon paced back and forth in front of an odd building that resembled the Pokémon, Wigglytuff. On each side of the building, there was a burning torch and a totem pole carved to represent various Pokémon. She glanced nervously at the building as she stopped pacing.

"Hmm…" The Eevee resumed her pacing for a bit before turning back to face the iron gate in the tent-like building. Her brow furrowed slightly in determination as she said, "No. I refuse to be paralyzed by this any longer! This is it. Today I'm going to be brave."

She moved towards the gate, but she stepped on a wooden grate on her way over and she yelped as a high-pitched voice shouted, "Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

A lower voice shouted, "Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint is Eevee's! The footprint is Eevee's!"

The Eevee screamed as she jumped back off of the grate. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before sighing and saying, "…I can't… I can't bring myself to go in. I vowed that I would do it today, but…"

She took a rock out of a small cloth sack at her side and held it in her paw. "I thought that holding on to my personal treasure would inspire me…" She put the rock back in the bag and sighed again, "…I just can't do it. I'm such a coward… This is so discouraging…"

Being plagued with negative thoughts, the Eevee turned away from the odd building and walked down the stairs of the cliff.

After she left, two Pokémon, a Koffing and a Zubat, came out of their hiding place behind one of the totem poles.

"Hey, Zubat. Did you get a load of that?"

"You bet I did, Koffing."

Koffing raised an eyebrow, "That little wimp that was pacing around… had something good, right?"

Zubat nodded, "That wimp had something, that's for sure. It looked like some kind of treasure."

"Do we go after it?" Koffing asked with a sideways glance.

"We do."

* * *

As the Eevee left the cliff, her feet carried her towards the beach by themselves. As she arrived, there were bubbles floating around in the air. She gave a happy sigh at the beautiful sight of the bubbles catching the setting sun's rays, making them appear rainbow. She had been hoping that the weather would be good enough after last night's storm for the Krabby to come out and blow the bubbles.

The calming experience was somewhat interrupted as she thought aloud, "This is where I always come when I'm feeling down on myself." Then the Eevee smiled, "But it makes me feel good to be here, like always. Coming here heals my spirits."

As her sight swept over the waves to take in all of the sight, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Something that shouldn't have been there; she had been there tons of times, she knew what was and wasn't supposed to be on the beach.

Moving closer to investigate, she shouted in surprise and started moving faster. There was somebody passed out on the shore!

* * *

"What happened?! Are you okay?"

The voice roused the castaway out of his unconscious state. After waking up, he sat up and held his head as he tried to shake off his fatigue. The instant he opened his eyes, he shut them again with a grunt. But then he froze. Were those ocean waves? Was that a sea breeze on his face? Forcing his eyes open, despite the light, he saw the sunset and the bubbles from the Krabby floating over the ocean waves.

The Pokémon next to him was speaking, but he paid her no mind. These were things that he had never known in his entire life. Seeing them now all at once practically made his mind go blank. After a short while staring at the scene before him, once his eyes had adjusted, he started registering the voice that was speaking to him.

"…re you okay? Why are you crying?"

Crying? He put a hand to his face and found the wetness, but when he ran his hand over his cheek, he felt a zapping sensation. Pulling his hand away, he was as surprised at the lack of pain as the actual act of getting shocked. Once he pulled his hand away, he noticed that it was much smaller than he remembered… And much more yellow.

He looked at the Pokémon next to him for the first time, an Eevee, and he was puzzled. Shouldn't he be towering over this Pokémon, not at about the same height? As he put two and two together, his eyes widened.

'Stay calm,' he thought. Pulling himself up, he found a puddle of seawater trapped in a shallow dip in the sand. He walked over methodically and looked at his reflection. It wasn't perfect, but he got the general outline and the message. He was no longer a human. He took a good look at his entire body; it would seem that he'd been turned into a Pikachu.

Taking a deep breath, he thought, 'Don't freak out.' His partner had always told him that freaking out never solved anything. All it would achieve would be wasting time and energy that he could devote-

"Um, excuse me. You seem to be a bit shocked."

'Understatement of the century,' he thought before turning around. The Eevee was looking at him, a little concerned, "Do you have any idea how you ended up unconscious out here?"

He crossed his now smaller arms and thought about it before saying, "I don't remember." Technically true; he couldn't remember every detail about how he came to be here since he was passed out for most of it. He had a solid grasp on the important things, though. Who he was, his closest friends, his mission…

His thoughts darkened at that, 'This might be a kinder time, but it might not be so kind once they find out what we're doing here, my partner and I…'

The Eevee was unaware of the Pikachu's thoughts as she continued, "Well, I'm Martha. Happy to meet you! And who are you? I don't think I've seen you around before."

'Not very surprising considering where I came from.' He wasn't sure how much he could trust this Pokémon. Picking his words carefully, he said, "My name is Ian. I'm afraid that I can't remember who I am." He looked down as he continued, "Whatever knocked me out must've given me amnesia…"

Martha seemed to think for a moment before nodding, "Okay. Well, you don't seem to be a bad Pokémon, at least. More and more bad Pokémon have been turning up lately, you see. A lot of Pokémon have gotten aggressive lately. It's just not safe anymore."

After briefly marveling at the Eevee's readily given trust, Ian's thoughts took a dark turn. 'So it's already started… I feel bad for giving a fake name to this random Pokémon, she seems real nice, after all, but this just shows that I need to get moving, regardless of my state and find-' Noticing something rushing up behind Martha, Ian was about to say something to warn her, but she was knocked from behind and into him. Something fell out of a bag at her side.

Koffing said, "Well, I _do_ beg your pardon."

Martha growled and turned around, yelling, "Hey! Why'd you do that?!"

"Heh-heh-heh! Can't figure it out?" Zubat chuckled. "We wanted to mess with you! Can't face up to us, can you?"

Any and all hints of Martha about to fight back vanished as she said, "Wh-what?!" Zubat turned towards the object that fell on the ground, "That's yours, isn't it?"

"Oh! That's…!"

"Sorry, kiddo," Zubat said in a tone that showed he wasn't the least bit sorry. "We'll take that!" He took the rock in between his feet and flew back up with it.

Koffing laughed, "Whoa-ho-ho! Not gonna make a move to get it back? What's the matter? Too scared? I didn't expect that you'd be such a big coward!" He turned to Zubat, "Come on. Let's get out of here."

Zubat chuckled, "See you around, chicken. Heh-heh-heh."

During the whole interaction, the Krabby had stopped blowing bubbles and fled. Also, "Ian's" temper had been mounting. The Sableye had always picked on the native Pokémon back in his home, just because they could. Seeing a similar behavior here, despite his original plan to move on, it simply made him start seeing red.

After Zubat's final remark, the two Pokémon started moving to leave towards the cave at the end of the beach, but he sidestepped to stand in their way. With his cheeks sparking due to his new Pokémon instincts, he said in a dangerously low tone, "Excuse me, but you must be a pretty sorry bunch if it takes both of you to pick on a lady. I may not remember who I am, but I know that I don't like Pokémon like you. If I were you, I'd just put down that item and leave quietly before I make you."

Koffing and Zubat stared at him for a second before laughing. "Whoa-ho-ho! This puny Pikachu is trying to be all noble!"

"Heh-heh-heh! Well, if you want it back that badly… Just try to come and get it!"

'Very well, you asked for it.' That last remark eroded away the last bit of hesitance Ian had for getting involved in this conflict. Instinctively concentrating, he released the electricity stored in his cheeks at the Zubat. The Thunder Shock attack hit dead on, zapping Zubat, but doing no harm to the rock held between his feet. He spasmed as he fell to the ground, temporarily paralyzed by the electricity.

"Zubat!" Koffing turned to Ian, "Why you…!"

Ian just got ready to attack again instead of bantering. He suddenly felt a paw at his side, and new energy surged through him as a colorful aura surrounded him. At his side, Martha had her paw on him, using Helping Hand to boost the energy of his moves.

"I'll help too," she said. "Zubat won't stay down for long. I'll finish him off." Martha ran off towards Zubat, who was already getting up and flying again. Turning his attention back to Koffing, Ian was just in time to dodge a Poison Gas attack.

Tapping into the new energy along with his natural electricity, Ian shot another Thunder Shock and took Koffing down in one shot as Martha jumped and used Tackle to finish Zubat.

The two Pokémon were down on the ground and they groaned in pain. They managed to pull themselves up again and glared at Ian and Martha.

Koffing muttered, "B-blast it… How'd we get wiped out by wimps like them?"

"Bah!" Zubat shouted. "Here you go. Take it, then!" He threw the rock at Martha's feet.

The two of them started backing away and Koffing said, "Whoa-ho! Don't think you're so awesome. Your victory was a fluke!"

They ran off, and Zubat shouted, "Yeah, you just remember that!"

Martha picked up the rock and said, "My Relic Fragment! Thank goodness… I actually managed to get it back." She turned to me and smiled, "This happened only because you helped me, Ian. Thank you!"

'I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,' he thought. 'I suppose that there's no harm in it. Now I can move on, but first…'

Ian tilted his head, "You called that item your Relic Fragment? What's that about?"

Martha set it down on the ground, "Well, that's what I started calling it. It's my precious treasure." She smiled, "You see, I've always liked legends and lore… I always get so excited when I hear tales from the past! Don't you feel the same way?"

Having to squash a chuckle at the absolute irony of the question, Ian merely nodded in response as Martha went on, "Hidden troves full of treasure and strange relics…" Her eyes practically sparkled as she looked at the setting sun over the waves, "…uncharted territories veiled in darkness… and new lands just waiting to be discovered! Such places must be full of gold and treasure! And history! Wouldn't it be dramatic to make historic discoveries?"

Turning back to Ian, she said, "That's what I always dream of. It's all so exciting to me. And it just so happened… that I found this Relic Fragment. Sure, it does look like junk, but take a closer look."

Curious, Ian leaned closer to the stone, and saw a peculiar pattern on the flat surface on top of the Relic Fragment. He had never seen anything like it, even with all of the research he had done with his partner and best friend.

"Look there," Martha said. "See that strange pattern inscribed on it?" Ian nodded, and she continued, "There must be _some_ meaning to this pattern. This Relic Fragment must be the key to legendary places! To areas where precious treasure lies! At least that's the feeling I get. That's why I want to join an exploration team."

'Right, they still have those here.' Ian thought, remembering his studies. Then he internally grimaced, 'All of ours were promptly executed or they disbanded to go into hiding.'

Unaware, Martha said, "This fragment must fit into something… somewhere! I want to discover where that is. I want to solve the mystery of my Relic Fragment! So, earlier, I tried joining an exploration team as an apprentice…" She looked to the side with a slightly sad expression, "But… I was too cowardly…" Turning back to Ian, she said, "What about you, Ian? What are you going to do now? You lost your memory. Do you have any place where you can stay?"

Ian was suddenly more cautious. He didn't like the direction that this conversation was heading.

"If not, can I ask a big favor? Would you form an exploration team with me? I think we could make a good exploration team together, Ian. So will you do that with me? Please?"

Ian tried to think of a way out of this. Yes, he had a place to be and someone to meet, but he couldn't tell her that. Not only would it nullify his earlier claim of amnesia, it would also cause a bunch of questions that might result in him having to go into hiding. Trying to buy a bit of time, he said, "Are you…?"

Martha looked confused, "Huh? Am I what? What do you mean, 'Are you…?'"

Having a bit more time to think while she asked, Ian said, "You're trying to talk me into it?"

She seemed shocked, "What?! Talk you into it? The thought never crossed my mind!" One look at her face told Ian that she was telling the truth. Every emotion was clearly displayed on her face. She probably couldn't tell an effective lie if she tried.

Sighing, Martha looked down and said, "Well, I'm a complete coward… Honestly… I mean, yes, I thought I could depend on you, Ian… But during the fight with Koffing and Zubat earlier… Having you there with me, I felt really brave. I think I could do anything as long as you're helping me, Ian. So come on, I'm begging you. Let's form an exploration team, you and me."

Letting out a mental sigh, Ian saw that she would probably follow him until he said yes. So he decided to play along until he could find a way to contact his partner.

Nodding, Ian said, "All right then, I don't see why not. I'll gladly form an exploration team with you, Martha."

Martha smiled, "Oh? Really?! Yay! Thank you! We're going to be a great combination! Let's make this work!" She looked and Ian followed her gaze to see a tall cliff next to a town further inland. "First, we need to go to Wigglytuff's place and sign up as apprentices. That's where we can get training to become a proper exploration team. I think the training will be very tough… So let's give it our best, Ian!"

Ian watched as she cheered and jumped for joy. 'Pokémon like her… for them to be able to express so openly and cheerfully… and for the beauty of the sunset that I saw when I first opened my eyes… This is why I came back. Why my partner and I came back to this time. These things are what we are fighting for.'


	2. Forming a Team

Chapter 2: Forming a Team

Ian followed Martha up the stairs of the cliff and they both stopped in front of the Wigglytuff-looking tent with the iron gate. Martha turned to him and said, "This is Wigglytuff's Guild. To form an exploration team, you need to register your team here. Then you have to train until you become a first-rate exploration team."

She turned back to the building and shuddered, "Isn't this place just a little bit odd? It just is!"

Ian looked at the guild as well. It was about as threatening as a ball of fluff compared to the things he'd seen. Putting that aside, he said, "I can't argue that it isn't odd-looking, but it's nothing to be scared of."

Martha turned to him and then nodded, "Y-you're right. I have to be brave." She stepped forward and when she stepped on the grate, a voice shouted up, "Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint is Eevee's! The footprint is Eevee's!"

Martha yelped, but managed to stay in place this time. 'I can't lose it now,' she thought.

After a brief pause, the second, lower voice said, "You may ENTER! Someone's with you! So get that stranger to stand up THERE!"

Martha hurried off the grate and said, "I think they mean you, Ian. They said to stand up there."

Ian looked down at the grate covering the hole in the ground. From the previous conversation, he assumed that somebody down in the hole identified Pokémon by the footprint. Shrugging, Ian stepped on the grate as well.

The same conversation ensued, but there seemed to be a problem.

* * *

Down in the hole, a small Pokémon was staring at the footprint that he saw, trying to figure out who it belonged to.

"The footprint is… The footprint is… Um…"

Down the passageway, a voice shouted, "What's the matter?! Sentry! Sentry?! What's wrong, sentry Diglett?"

Diglett thought hard about what he was looking at, "Umm… Er… Umm… The footprint is… Maybe Pikachu's! Maybe Pikachu's!"

"What?! MAYBE?!"

Diglett sweat a bit as he tried to defend his response, "B-but… It's not a footprint that you normally see around here…"

The voice down the hall was not appeased, "UGH! That's pretty crummy! Checking the footprints of visiting Pokémon… That's your job, ISN'T it, Diglett?"

Diglett replied, "Yes, but… I don't know what I don't know."

* * *

Ian was starting to feel a little awkward still standing on the grate as he was listening in on the two Pokémons' discussion.

Martha leaned closer to the grate, "What? Are they arguing?"

She abruptly leaned back away when the low voice spoke up, "…Sorry to make you WAIT. Well, it's TRUE that you don't see any Pikachu in these parts… But you don't SEEM to be bad… Okay, good enough! ENTER!"

Martha jumped back as there was a rumbling sound and the gate of the building opened. "I'm so nervous, but I'm glad we're finally allowed in. My heart's pounding, though…" She gingerly stepped forward, "Anyway, let's go."

The two of them walked side-by side into the tent and saw a ladder that led underground. Martha marveled at the sight before the two of them climbed down. Once they reached the bottom, they were in a room that had two boards with, presumably, missions on them. Pokémon were all around in the room, some looking at the boards, and others discussing among themselves.

"Wow!" Martha said as they looked around, "So this is Wigglytuff's Guild! There are sure a lot of Pokémon here. Do they all belong to exploration teams?"

A voice called out, "Excuse me!" Ian and Martha turned and saw a Chatot coming from the ladder that led down further into the guild. He walked up and said, "It was you two that just came in, right?"

Martha stood up straight and said, "Y-yes!"

"I'm Chatot! I'm the Pokémon in the know around these parts. I am Guildmaster Wigglytuff's right-hand Pokémon. Now, shoo! Leave the premises! We have no time for salespeople or silly surveys. Off you go, if you please!"

Shaking her head, Martha said, "N-no! That's not why we're here! We want to form an exploration team… So we came here. We want to get proper training as an exploration team."

Chatot's eyes widened, "Wh-what?! Exploration team?"

He turned around thinking out loud, "It's rare to see a kid like this want to apprentice at the guild. Especially given how hard our training is! Surely the steady stream of Pokémon that run away from our rigorous training proves how true that is!"

Both Ian and Martha could clearly hear him. "Excuse me," Martha said worriedly. "Is the exploration team training really that harsh?"

"What?!" Chatot abruptly turned around, apparently surprised that he'd been heard, "Well… no! No, no, no! It's not true in the slightest! Our training program for exploration teams is as easy as can be!" He calmed down and smiled, "Well, well, well! I wish you had told me up front that you wanted to be an exploration team! Hee-heeee!"

The two Pokémon were slightly weirded out by Chatot's demeanor. Martha murmured, "What a shift in attitude…"

Not hearing, Chatot said, "Okay! Let's get your team signed up right away. Follow me!" He started walking away and Ian followed, but Martha looked a little shell-shocked. Chatot turned around and spotted her, "Oh, anything wrong? Come on! Over here! Quickly, please."

Once they moved down the ladder, Chatot said, "This is the guild's second underground floor. This is mainly where the apprentices work. Team registration is this way. Come along, please." The three of them walked to their left and Martha caught sight of the window and ran to get a closer look.

"Wow! We're two floors underground, but you can see outside!"

Chatot groaned and said, "Oh, please! Hush now! The guild is built into the side of a cliff. It's only natural that you would be able to see outside."

As Martha nodded and returned to the group, Ian assumed that Chatot had to explain that to a lot of new apprentices. Regardless, Chatot continued, "Now, here we are at Guildmaster Wigglytuff's chamber. On no account… I repeat, on no account should you be discourteous to our Guildmaster."

He turned towards the door and called, "Guildmaster! It's Chatot! I'm coming in!" Once he opened the door, the three Pokémon walked in and saw Wigglytuff standing and facing the back of the room, and Chatot said, "Guildmaster! I present to you two Pokémon who wish to join our guild as apprentices."

After a while of no response, Chatot said, "Guildmaster… um… Guildmaster?"

Wigglytuff abruptly turned around and said, "Hiya! I'm Wigglytuff! I'm the guild's Guildmaster!"

While Martha was slightly intimidated by Wigglytuff's presence, Ian stood there dumbfounded. 'You're kidding me… _This_ is a leader of leaders? The leader of the best of the best guilds that trains exploration teams…?' Ian had read about some of the discoveries that Wigglytuff's Guild had made in his research of the past. To see that the leader was so… child-like, it was a bit disappointing to say the least. He knew, however, that saying that out loud would get both him and Martha swiftly kicked out, so he kept his thoughts to himself and recomposed his face into his usual passive expression.

"You want to form an exploration team? Then, let's go for it! First we must register your exploration team's name! So tell me your team's name?"

Martha said, "Oh? Our team's name? I didn't think about a team name." She turned to Ian, "What do you think would be a good name for us, Ian?"

Ian raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was asking him, but gave the question some thought anyway. He picked the name of a somewhat noteworthy exploration team that he had read about before.

"Team Rapid."

Martha thought about it for a bit, repeating the name to herself. "Team Rapid… I like it! It's a good name! It's perfect for us!"

It was the name of a team that had fallen into disgrace and then obscurity soon after formation, but it wouldn't be formed for another five years from now. That entry would either stay the same or it would change. It all depended on Martha.

Wigglytuff clapped his hands, "All settled, then! I'll register your team as Rapid." He sang, "Registering~ Registering~" Then he said, "All registered…" and shouted, "YOOM… TAH!"

There was a flash of white light as Wigglytuff shouted, and after it faded, he threw his hands up in celebration, "Congratulations! From now on, you're an official exploration team! I present you with this in commemoration." He took a golden box out and put it on the ground in front of Ian and Martha.

Martha's eyes widened in recognintion, "A Pokémon Exploration Team Kit?"

"Yup," Wigglytuff nodded. "It's what every exploration team needs. Quick, open it up." Martha did so, and there were two Explorer Badges, a Wonder Map and a Treasure Bag inside.

Martha's eyes sparkled, "Yes! There are all sorts of great items in here!"

Ian already knew what all of these items were for, so he tuned out Wigglytuff's explanation to do some thinking. 'How can I contact my partner? If I don't find him soon, he might assume the worst and carry on the mission without me. Should I try sneaking out at night when everybody's sleeping? Sentries need sleep too… Maybe I could-'

His thoughts were cut short as the Treasure Bag was put over his shoulder. He shouted in surprise, but Martha said, "One of us has to carry the Treasure Bag, and I think it should be you."

Before Ian could offer any protest, Martha gave him a flat stare and held her front paw up. Ian looked at it and then looked at his own hand. Like his former hand, it had fingers and a thumb. Small ones, but they were definitely there. He nodded and said, "Point taken."

Wigglytuff chimed in, "Have a peek inside your Treasure Bag." Ian opened the flap of the Treasure Bag, which had his Explorer Badge attached to it, and saw a Zinc Band and a Blue Bow. Wigglytuff continued, "Those two items are special. I'm sure they will help you on your adventures!"

Martha bowed her head, "Th-thank you! We'll do our best!"

Wigglytuff nodded, "Yup. But you're only apprenticing right now. So do your best… to train!"

She nodded back, "We will!" She turned to Ian, "Let's always do our best, Ian!" After Ian nodded, Martha cheered and he raised his badge in acknowledgement.

Chatot led them out of the room and down a hallway to the end and said, "This is your room." Martha stepped forward onto a pile of straw and said, "Yay! We get beds!"

Ian, however, stepped on his pile of straw gingerly. It was soft. He along with his partner often had to sleep directly on the ground since no plants grew anymore. And they could never sleep for very long. The sense of comfort was completely foreign to him.

"You will live here while you work for us. Things will start getting busy for you tomorrow! So rise early and start living up to our code. Don't stay up late. Get to sleep early tonight! That is all." He left the room and night fell upon Treasure Town shortly after.

In the room, Martha slept curled up with her tail wrapped around her body while Ian rested on his back, having to move his tail out of the way after the first time he tried laying back.

After a few moments of silence, Martha spoke up, "Say, are you still awake, Ian?" Ian grunted in affirmation and she continued, "My heart's been racing all day… But I'm glad I finally forced myself to come here. I thought Wigglytuff would be kind of scary, but he was pretty nice. We'll experience all sorts of new stuff starting tomorrow, but I'm not very frightened. Actually, I can't wait to find out what new adventures are in store for us! I'm getting a little sleepy… Let's give it our all tomorrow. Okay, Ian. Sleep tight."

Martha's breathing evened out as she fell asleep, but Ian stayed wide awake, even though his eyes were closed. He was biding his time. After an hour or so, he opened his eyes and stood up. Checking to make sure that Martha was asleep, he started moving quietly out of the room.

Ian wasn't going to sneak out tonight. He had _no _idea where his partner was at. Leaving tonight would get him nowhere except in trouble. Moving stealthily, he was trying to scope out a way that he could sneak out if and when he needed to.

As he passed two branching paths in the hallway he'd been led down, he heard a loud snoring sound coming from his left. He ignored it, surmising that the two rooms were the quarters of other Pokémon living here. Moving into the main room, Ian passed by Wigglytuff's chambers and gave a curiously shaped booth on his right a passing glance before moving to the room across from the hall that led to his room. Once inside, he saw a long table with several barrels of berries and apples.

'This must be where everyone gathers to eat. Unimportant.' He took note of the two windows in the room, but all that was on the other side was about a twenty-five to thirty foot drop. He left the room and moved up the ladder to the first sublevel. Finding nothing besides two boards and an unattended desk, Ian started moving up the ladder to the exit, to see if he could get out through there.

Before he was even two steps up the ladder, a sharp voice spoke up, "Who goes there?!" There was the sound of flapping wings and Ian found himself face-to-face with a cross-looking Chatot.

Chatot glared at him, "You? Ugh, I understand that you're new and are probably excited to see the rest of the guild, but that can wait until the daytime! Go back to your room and go to sleep!" Chatot turned around and started flying back up the ladder, "Really, recruits these days, disturbing my sleep."

Hearing that, Ian knew that he'd find nothing right away. With Chatot being such a light sleeper and staying at the entrance and with no ways out through the windows that didn't involve a perilous climb, any efforts to find a way out tonight would just be a waste of time and energy.

With nothing else to do, he returned to his room and lay back on his bed. 'Since the front door is out, maybe I can investigate the underground floors more thoroughly in the coming nights. That way, once I find a lead, I can start heading out to find him.'

He gripped some of the straw that made up his bed. 'I will find you again, Grovyle. Count on it.'

With that final thought, Ian drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**A little bit shorter than the last chapter, but I hope it was good. Feel free to leave a review with any thoughts you might have.**

**-AJ203**


	3. From Humble Beginnings

Chapter 3: From Humble Beginnings

Ian was sleeping on his bed as the sun started rising. Disturbed by the light, he woke up. His past experiences had made him a very light sleeper. Once he woke up, he saw the lightening sky and moved to stand at the window, trying to get a view of the sun rising.

As he stared at it, he thought, 'Such a simple, yet integral part of nature. It makes me sad that Celebi won't be able to see this.' His head dipped down as he remembered the quirky Pokémon that helped Grovyle and him come back to this time. She had put herself at a huge risk because, while he and Grovyle were in the past, their enemies would be looking for her.

But soon after he thought she might get captured, he chuckled, 'She would scold me for even thinking that she could get captured. She knew the risks; we all did. But we have to press on.' He looked back up just as the sun finished climbing above the horizon. 'We have to protect this.'

"YOU'RE up early."

Ian immediately whipped around on all fours and electricity buzzed across his cheeks at the unfamiliar voice. A large purple Pokémon in the doorway raised his arms in surprise, "WHOA! Take it EASY! I'm just another apprentice here. My name's Loudred!"

Stopping the electricity, Ian stood back on his hind legs and bowed his head, "I'm sorry. I just… _don't_ like others sneaking up on me."

Loudred calmed down, "S'okay, I get it. ANYWAY… Since you're up, you MIGHT wanna cover your ears."

Before Ian could ask why, Loudred started moving from the doorway to Martha's bed. She had been asleep through the sunrise and the short conversation that the two of them had. As Loudred took a firm stance with his arms raised at his side and took a deep breath, Ian saw what was coming and quickly pulled his ears down and held them to muffle his hearing.

"HEY! HEY THERE! RISE AND SHINE!"

Even with his ears covered, Ian still cringed at the volume of the sound. Martha, for her part, was blown out of her curled up position from the shockwave of Loudred's voice. She was sprawled on her side as she held her head, muttering, "M-my poor ears…"

Loudred stopped and turned to Ian, "Make sure the two you get to the morning briefing. If you're late, you'll be SORRY." Then lowering his voice a bit he said, "Between you and me, Wigglytuff's got a BIG temper. My advice: do NOT make him lose it."

Ian nodded as he let go of his ears, and Loudred left as Martha was still recovering on the ground. Stepping over to Martha, Ian said, "We should get moving, there's a morning briefing we have to get to."

Martha shook the dizziness off, "Sorry? My ears were still ringing…"

Ian sighed; he hated having to repeat himself. He merely walked to his side of the room and picked up the Treasure Bag from where he had left it. After shouldering it, Ian walked by Martha, who was standing now, and put his hand on the back of her neck effectively guiding her out of the room.

As Martha took a good look around the hallway as they walked, the penny that was stuck in her drowsy mind finally dropped and she started rushing on her own. Ian easily kept pace and they met up with everybody else gathering in front of the Guildmaster's door. They managed to make it at around the same time that everybody finished lining up, taking a place at the end, closest to the hallway that they had come from.

As Martha rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she said, "Thanks, Ian. For a few moments I had forgotten what happened yesterday. We might've been late if you hadn't… been… up already?" After saying that, she seemed a bit miffed, "Wait, if you were up, why didn't you stop whoever shouted in my face?"

Chatot started speaking and Ian whispered, "We can discuss this later." Martha frowned, but they both listened as Chatot said, "Very well. Let us conduct our morning address." He turned to the door, "Guildmaster! The guild is in full attendance!"

After a brief second, the door to Wigglytuff's room opened, and he walked out. Chatot said, "Thank you, Guildmaster! Please address the crew."

His mouth started moving and everyone looked ready to listen, but Wigglytuff merely snored as he stood there sleeping with his eyes wide open.

Ian started hearing mumblings from the other apprentices, "Psst…! Guildmaster Wigglytuff never ceases to amaze me!"

"Yeah, you got that right!"

"Yup, looks like he's wide awake."

"Eek! His eyes are wide open! But he's fast asleep!"

Chatot seemed to notice that Wigglytuff was asleep, but he just said, "Thank you, sir! We all value your… words of wisdom!"

Chatot turned back to us, "Okay, Pokémon! Take our Guildmaster's words of wisdom to heart! Finally, let's not forget our morning cheers! All together now!"

Everyone cheered, "A ONE, A TWO… A ONE-TWO-THREE! ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK! TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY! THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" There was a slight delay heard as Martha repeated the cheer enthusiastically a second after everybody else, and Ian mechanically repeated it as well.

"Okay, Pokémon! Get to work!"

Everyone cheered, "HOORAY!" Everyone except for Martha and Ian left for their posts. Martha looked at Ian, "Er… Ian? What should we do?"

Ian turned to Chatot, "Excuse me, Chatot? What are we supposed to do today?"

Chatot turned to face them, "Ah, yes. You two follow me." He led them up the ladder to the room that Ian had seen the night before with the two boards on the walls.

After he stopped, the two of them lined up side-by-side in front of one of board next to the ladder leading to the exit. Chatot faced the two of them and said, "You're just beginners. We'll have you start off with this assignment." He gestured with his wing to the board that had papers all over it, "This is the Job Bulletin Board. Pokémon from various regions post job requests here. You're aware that bad Pokémon are cropping up in greater numbers, right?"

Martha nodded, "Yes. Because the flow of time is getting messed up. It's wreaking havoc, right? Which is why lots of bad Pokémon are appearing."

The subject was a very sensitive one to Ian. He had to compose himself; he was just an amnesiac Pokémon that knew nothing about anything relating to this world.

Chatot nodded back, "Precisely. Time getting out of whack has caused an outbreak of bad Pokémon. Perhaps because of all that… We have noticed an increase in the number of jobs. In addition, and it's unknown if this is because of time's influence… There has also been a mass outbreak of mystery dungeons."

Martha turned to Ian and started explaining what a mystery dungeon was. Again, Ian already knew, but he pretended to listen with his full attention so he didn't expose himself.

After Martha finished her explanation, Chatot said with a smile, "Well! You're quite informed, aren't you? That makes things much easier for me to explain! Jobs all take place in mystery dungeons." He turned to look at the board, "So… let's look for a job that you should perform." After a few seconds, one seemed to catch his eye, "Ah, yes. Maybe this will do?"

Chatot took down one of the papers and handed it to us. Ian held it and Martha leaned over, "Oh, really? Let's read it!" The two of them read the letter silently.

_"Hello! My name is Spoink!_

_"An outlaw has run off with my most prized possession. My precious pearl! That pearl is life itself… to me! I just can't seem to settle down if that pearl isn't in its proper place atop my head! But I've heard that my pearl has been sighted! It's said to be on a rocky bluff. But this bluff is reported to be extremely unsafe. I could never go somewhere so frightening! Oh, friendly readers! Would you be so kind as to go to the bluff and get my pearl?_

_"I beg your help, exploration team members!_

_"-From Spoink"_

After they finished reading, Martha said, "Wait a second…" She got angry, "We're going to fetch an item that someone dropped? I'd rather go on a bigger adventure than that."

Ian could see both the faraway look on Martha's face developing, and Chatot beginning to get angry, so he cut in, "I hate to burst your bubble, Martha, but nobody starts out with big things like what you have in mind. That's like trying to move a massive boulder when you haven't even managed a small rock yet. Everybody starts out with baby steps."

Martha seemed put out, but Chatot calmed down a bit, though he still looked grumpy as he said, "Indeed. It's important that you rookies pay your dues! Now pay attention. I'll repeat the warnings to make sure they stick! You'll be forced out of a dungeon and sent back here if either of you faints. You'll lose half your money! And you could lose half your items or more! You'd best be careful! If you've understood all that, I suggest you get on with the job."

The two of them left the guild, Martha seeming more reluctant than Ian. On the way to the bluff, Ian took a good look at the two items that they had. From his knowledge of items, nothing was very useful to him. But he gave the Blue Bow to Martha to slightly boost the potency of her abilities and resistances. He thought about equipping the Zinc Band anyway, but shrugged and put it back in the bag.

After a few moments walking in silence, Martha said, "What was that back there, with Chatot?"

Ian shrugged, "I saw him getting angry, and I didn't feel like getting yelled at this morning. Simple as that."

"But… you were also looking out for me…? By keeping me from making Chatot angry?"

Ian looked up as he thought aloud, "I suppose you could look at it that way. You know where you want to get to, and that's great. But you also shouldn't run your mouth off. Sometimes, it's better to keep your thoughts to yourself. For example: arguing with the second-in-command. Bad move. I'm not saying to stop acting like yourself, just be careful what you say to whom. Also, I felt that you were a bit confused on the process of getting from point A to point B in your life goals. Like I said, nobody does stuff like treasure hunting first. So, I neutralized the situation while also reminding you of the reality of the situation."

"Are you saying I'm stupid?" Martha asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. A tad naïve, I suppose, but not stupid. You're informed about explorations and mystery dungeons, but have little real life experience in it. Also, I've noticed that you didn't have much discipline or adherence to authority. Did you grow up alone, by any chance?"

Martha stopped walking, "Hey! That's personal!"

Ian glanced back as he kept walking, "I'll take that as a yes."

Martha ran back up, "Well, how would you like it if I started asking _you_ personal questions?"

Remaining one step ahead, both literally and metaphorically, Ian smiled and said, "I wouldn't have any answers, remember?"

"Oh, right, amnesia," Martha said, seeming defeated. "If you have no memory, then how do you know so much?"

"Just because I don't remember anything about myself doesn't mean I don't know how to figure out things about others. I can't remember how I do; I just know it," Ian said, keeping to his amnesia cover-up. "And knowing what _not_ to say is common sense, Martha." Ian would be lying if he said he wasn't having a little fun needling Martha. There usually wasn't much time for banter when Grovyle and he were on the move, so it was nice to loosen up a bit, even if it was at her expense.

As Martha huffed, Ian thought, 'I should probably say something reassuring. Fun as it was, I guess I'm not being very nice right now.'

"Listen, Martha," he started. "In all seriousness, everybody starts small. Teams don't become famous overnight. I'm sure that, someday, you'll be searching for treasure in hidden ruins just like you dreamed you would. But right now we should focus on today's mission. We're here."

"Huh?" Martha looked around and they were in a rocky terrain with moss-colored grass around a path leading forward.

Recalling the letter, Martha said, "Spoink's mission description said the pearl is deep down on the seventh sublevel. It's supposedly very dangerous. Let's be really careful." Feeling more determined, Martha said, "Let's do our best, Ian!"

Ian nodded, and the two of them went forward along the path. While getting focused on the mission, Martha had overlooked that Ian had said "you", and not "we." One way or another, it was going to be her alone in the end.

As they walked forward on the path, the scenery suddenly changed and the entrance vanished behind them. Now they were in a room that was enclosed by rocky walls all around with hallways and passageways of water leading out. There was no ceiling, but Martha knew that trying to climb over the walls would be useless because of the nature of a mystery dungeon. They simply didn't allow such a thing without the right items. Although, she had heard of some legendary explorers that could walk over water, magma, chasms, and even through walls, all without any items. **(AN: IQ Skill, All-Terrain Hiker: self explanatory and obtained waaaaaaaay late in the IQ Skill line.)**

Ian's cheeks sparked, 'I'll have to watch for any Water-types trying to ambush us from the water…'

Martha looked around, "A mystery dungeon always keeps you guessing. Can never tell how the land will change or what paths will be available… Guess we should just try looking around?"

Ian pulled out the Wonder Map, "Luckily, we won't have to stumble around blindly. This map will keep track of where we've been." Already, the blank piece of parchment had drawn an outline of the room they were standing in with a white dot for Ian and a yellow dot for Martha. At the corner of the map, it said B1F. But as he was looking, he noticed a red dot approaching from his right, seemingly out of one of the walls.

He immediately turned and saw a Shellos coming from one of the water passages. He shot a Thunder Shock at it, but the Shellos shot a blob of mud into the air, and covered itself with Mud Sport. It cringed from the shock, but was still standing. The Shellos shook off the fatigue, but shot a Mud-Slap. Ian dodged to the side, and got ready to shoot another Thunder Shock, but Martha hit the Shellos over the head, knocking it out.

She turned to Ian, "You shouldn't waste moves on a weakened Pokémon; a simple regular attack will finish them off. Every Pokémon knows that."

'Well, until yesterday, I wasn't a Pokémon,' Ian thought, but he said, "Thank you for the advice. But I can't help but feel that that was a jibe for my 'common sense' remark earlier. As an explorer, shouldn't you be above petty teasing?"

Martha smiled and the two of them started moving down the hall, "I'm not stupid enough to battle an opponent without a plan; even if it's a battle of words. If that's how you're going to play on this team, I'm not going to just sit back and take your teasing; I'm going to fight back."

Ian smiled as he kept watch for approaching enemies on the map as it drew the hall they were walking down. This was starting to be fun. It appears Martha isn't as weak-kneed with Pokémon she's grown familiar with; she _did_ have the gall to argue with Chatot over their assignment, even if it wasn't the smartest of moves. And that was just one day after meeting the guy. Now, after one round of teasing, she's returning fire.

'Perhaps… Martha's stronger than even _she's _aware of. Maybe, if I tease her every now and again, I can help her gain enough confidence to stand on her own once I'm gone. Besides, banter is much more fun with an opponent.'

From then on, the rest of the mission passed without much incident. Martha even learned Sand Attack from battling the Pokémon that fought against them. Ian and Martha had trouble with the Lileep due to type problems, but the items that they found in the dungeon certainly helped. Turns out that Ian's claim about Martha being informed about exploring was entirely true. She knew everything about just about any item that they picked up, even knowing the different seeds and orbs after just one glance at them. She even knew the subtle difference between an Oran Berry and an Oren Berry.

The two of them were even able to find a little money in the dungeon, which got sucked into a seemingly bottomless pocket on the Treasure Bag with a gold-colored P stitched on it. Martha explained how the pocket worked and that Duskull, the town's banker, added those onto Treasure Bags when he first came around so that exploration teams can carry any and all money they find in a dungeon, that way they could deposit it in his bank.

"He's a little… odd, but his Poké Pocket was a great contribution to explorers everywhere!" Martha said as they walked down another set of stairs.

After they came to a chamber that looked naturally formed instead of like a dungeon room, Martha looked around and said, "Oh! Over there!" They moved forward to a round, pink gem that sparkled on the ground, "This has to be Spoink's pearl! Quick! Let's take it back!"

Ian picked up the pearl and put it in the Treasure Bag, "Our first mission is complete."

Both of their badges glowed, and Martha said, "Then we just have to press on our badges, and we'll be warped back to the guild."

They did so, and once they arrived back at the guild, Chatot contacted Spoink. Within a matter of moments, Spoink bounced down the ladder and took his pearl back, placing it on his head. He looked a little worse for wear, having some bruises on his body.

"Th-thank you! That pearl must be propped on my head, you see. I missed it so much! I just couldn't settle down without it up there! So I was just boinging and springing everywhere! That's why I'm covered in dings and bumps. But thanks you, that long nightmare is over! You have my sincere thanks!"

He handed over a small bag with a Protein, a Calcium and an Iron. Then he handed a larger bag with a gold P stitched on it, containing 2,000 Poké.

Martha spoke in wonder, "Oh, wow! 2,000 Poké?! We can have all this money?"

Spoink waved his hand, "Of course! Of course! That's nothing compared to my pearl's value! Farewell!" Spoink bounced up the steps of the ladder, leaving the guild.

Martha turned to Ian, "We're rich, Ian! All of a sudden, we're rich!"

Chatot nodded, "Well done, team!" He walked up to Ian, "Now hand that money over, if you please!"

"Excuse me?!" Martha said incredulously.

Ian handed over the bag of money and looked at Martha with a look that clearly said "Calm down."

Martha didn't look happy about it, but she kept quiet as Chatot explained while rifling through the bag of money, "Most of the money from jobs goes to the Guildmaster, you see. And your team's share comes out to… this much!"

As he handed back a handful of Poké coins in his wing, Martha couldn't keep quiet, "Huh?! We keep only 200 Poké? That's not fair!"

Chatot didn't seem fazed by her outburst. Evidently he'd heard it before. "Well that's the guild's rule. You simply have to accept it!"

As Martha hmphed, Ian had put their portion of the money in the Poké Pocket and was looking through the items that they had been given. He wasn't all that concerned about the small share they got. If a large portion of their funds would be from finding Poké in the dungeons, then so be it. They got to keep the items, and that was something. In a way, since items could be used to aid in future explorations, to him the items were the more valuable of the two kinds of rewards.

Since they were done for the day, Ian and Martha spent the rest of the day hanging around the guild. Ian spoke with Loudred and asked if he could take over waking up Martha, since he was an early riser anyway. Loudred had no problem with it. It made his job easier with one less room to wake up.

After dinner, everybody turned in for the night. As Ian and Martha got ready for bed, Martha struck up a conversation, "Say, Ian… Today was pretty hectic with everything we went through, wasn't it? But I'm glad our first job turned out so well."

Ian spoke back, "I thought you were upset about our assignment."

"Well, after you offered a new perspective, I saw it as the first step. And I'm glad we were able to take it." Then Martha huffed, "I _was_ really mad about how Wigglytuff's Guild took most of the money… That's just the cost of training, I guess. We can't do anything about it. But what made me really happy today, though, was getting thanked by Spoink!"

Martha yawned and settled into her bed, "I'm getting tired. I'm going to sleep. Let's try our best again tomorrow. Sleep tight, Ian…"

After waiting an hour again, Ian stood up and set out to check the guild for any discreet ways out. He remembered that he'd have to be careful when on the floor with the Mission Boards. Chatot slept on the top of the ladder and he was as light a sleeper as Ian himself was.

* * *

**Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and make good New Year's Resolutions (and keep them)!**


	4. Visions of the Past's Future!

Chapter 4: Visions of the Past's Future!

Ian woke up with the rising sun and stretched a bit before padding over to Martha's bed. As Ian tried shaking Martha awake, he thought back to last night. He had searched the other rooms, besides the other residential quarters, and found no way out anywhere. Would he simply have to cut and run at some point while in the field in order to get to Grovyle once Ian located him? That idea didn't exactly sit well with him.

He returned his attention to Martha as he continued shaking her harder, 'I'll do what I have to do, regardless of how it will drag my fake name through the mud. It won't matter, anyway, because – okay, seriously, just _how_ heavy a sleeper is Martha?'

Martha was still soundly asleep, only curling up tighter when Ian tried to shake her awake. Ian's frustration was mounting by the second. At this rate, they were going to be late anyway. He stopped shaking Martha, and she turned away from him, still asleep.

Ian crossed his arms and briefly considered going to get Loudred. But he decided against it, since he had promised Loudred that he'd wake Martha up from now on, and taking it back wouldn't be proper. Thinking for a bit, a mischievous smile broke out on Ian's face, and with his arms still crossed, he moved his tail around to his side, charging a bit of electricity in it.

'All right, Martha, let's see you sleep through this.' Moving the tail toward the center of Martha's back, Ian said, "Clear!" and he zapped Martha with a mild shock by touching his tail to the spot he had it near.

"Gak!" Martha spasmed and rolled off of her bed from the shock. Her fur, particularly on the cream-colored fur around her neck, was frizzy and sticking out everywhere. She shook her head and got up; taking a look at herself, she started trying to shake her fur back down with little success.

"Good, you're awake," Ian said nonchalantly. "We have to get to the morning address."

As Ian got the Treasure Bag, Martha said, "Did you just-?!"

"I _tried_ waking you up more gently," Ian said as he fixed the bag over his shoulder, "It didn't work. If you sleep through the gentle wake-up, you get shock therapy. Remember it. Now, come on, if we dawdle any longer, we'll be late."

The two of them walked down the hall and arrived in time for the morning address.

"AND… THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Okay, Pokémon! Time to get to work!"

"Hooray!"

After a short while, Chatot acknowledged that Ian and Martha were still standing around, unsure what to do. "Oh, you two! Still milling about, it seems… Well, come with me."

He led the two of them up to the first sublevel, but unlike last time, they turned left from the staircase and walked up to a board across the room from the Job Bulletin Board.

Martha took note of this, "Oh? Last time we did a job, it was from the board on the other side…"

"Correct!" Chatot said, "Today, we'll have you do a job listed on this side."

Martha tilted her head, curious, "How is this different from the board on the other side?"

Chatot turned to the board, "Take a closer look."

Ian and Martha stepped closer, Ian understood what the board was the instant that he saw the pictures. As Martha spoke, he felt sorry for what she was about to be asked to do.

"Oh! Look at this Ian! There are posters up here that show a variety of Pokémon! Wow, they all look sort of cool! Are they famous explorers?" Martha wondered. She looked at Chatot, "Who are these Pokémon, Chatot?"

Still looking at the board, Chatot said seriously, "The Pokémon posted here… are outlaws. They're all shady characters. And they're wanted for committing crimes."

Martha stepped back nervously, "Wait, you mean these are criminals?"

Chatot nodded, "Correct. So there are bounties on their heads. In other words, there is a cash reward if you capture one." He sighed and shook his head, "There are so many aggressive Pokémon around these days that everyone's finding it hard to keep up with the problem."

"And we're supposed to catch these outlaws?" Martha asked incredulously. "No way! That's not possible!"

Chatot laughed, "Hee-heeee! Just joking!"

'Chatot has a weird definition of a joke…' Ian thought. Unaware, Chatot waved his wing as he continued, "The bad Pokémon out there come in all shades of badness. Some of those Pokémon are completely wicked, through and through… But there are also bad Pokémon who are merely petty thieves. So you've got evil to naughty… and everything in between! So I'm sure we can avoid giving you a job catching a superbad Pokémon. Hee-heeee! So look over these posters, then pick a Pokémon that looks weak enough for you to bring to justice!"

As Ian silently fumed over the disguised jibe at their strength – they were new, sure, but they weren't weak! – Martha hesitated, "Um… You say some are weak… They're still bad Pokémon, aren't they? I'm scared of dangerous Pokémon…"

"It's all a part of your training," Chatot replied. "You'll work through it, I'm sure! But I suppose you do need to be prepared to confront a tough opponent… So, I'll have someone give you a tour of the facilities." He turned towards the ladders and called, "Hey! Bidoof! Bidoof?!"

There was a "Yup yup!" from the lower level as a Bidoof climbed up, and plodded up to Chatot.

Breathing heavily, he said, "You called?"

Chatot nodded, "Ah, Bidoof, these are the new recruits that just joined us. Take them and show them around the town."

Bidoof nodded, "Yes sirree! By golly, I'll do just that! Yup yup!"

Chatot turned back to Ian and Martha, "This is Bidoof. He's one of your fellow apprentices. I want you to pay attention to what Bidoof has to say and follow his orders. Off you go!"

After Chatot left, Bidoof sniffled and said, "Aw, shucks. I'm overjoyed!"

Martha tilted her head, "Why's that?"

Bidoof said, "I'm glad to have members junior to me! I'm almost overcome right now… I might just blubber with happiness! Before you all signed on, I was the most recent rookie…" He sniffled again, and then pulled himself together, "Well, I'd best show you around. Come with me, please."

Ian and Martha followed Bidoof to the second sublevel, and he said, "First things first!" He pointed to the curious shaped booth that Ian had seen at night a few times. In the light of day, it was revealed to represent the Pokémon, Croagunk.

"Here, we have Croagunk… But to tell the truth, I don't have any idea what that Pokémon's up to… He always seems to be fiddling around with that big cauldron back there. It's all a mystery to me! Yup yup!" He pointed past Croagunk's booth and to the hallway across from their right, "Over this way's the mess hall." He pointed to the hall towards the left, "And if you all look that way, you'll find the crew rooms." Turning towards the door that Chatot was standing in front of, he said, "And this here leads to the Guildmaster's Chamber."

Bidoof turned back to Ian and Martha, "Next, I'll guide you both around places outside the guild."

Taking both ladders up and walking out of the exit to outside, Bidoof led the two of them down the cliff's stairs to the crossroads. As they reached the intersection, he turned to a well with a wooden awning shading it, "I hear you can make a record of your adventure at that Watering Hole." After making that note, Bidoof led them to the right, taking them to Treasure Town.

Even though most would consider Treasure Town to be a small community, it was staggering to Ian. He kept his face composed, but inside he was marveling at so many friendly Pokémon in one place. 'So many friendly faces… If one looked at this, you wouldn't be able to tell right away that the world was headed for disaster. And with bad Pokémon rising in number, perhaps such a gathering of friendly Pokémon could lead to opportunistic criminals taking advantage of their trusting nature. It can't be helped, though. All of these Pokémon look like they've never known a moment of true peril in their entire lives. How could they know whether someone was really "good" or just wearing a mask?'

Ian's musing was cut short as the three of them arrived in the center of the four booths surrounding the T-shaped intersection of the town. Bidoof said, "This is the main square for the local Pokémon… It's called Treasure Town."

Martha chimed in, "Oh, Ian, I can tell you about Treasure Town."

Ian followed where Martha was looking, first towards a black and grey building shaped like a Duskull, as she spoke, "That over there is Duskull Bank. I told you about him, remember? We can save our money there." She turned to a tent representing the Pokémon, Electivire, "And that over there is the Electivire Link Shop. That's where you can do things like link moves together, but… It looks as if Electivire isn't around today."

Martha pointed with her paw down further along the path, "Waaaaaay over there, further down the path, is Kecleon Market, where you can buy and sell items. And, next to that, is Kangaskhan Storage. Items stored there will never be lost. You remember Chatot's warning? If you have precious items that you can't afford to lose, store them here before you go on an adventure." She turned back to Ian, "And those are the basic places that exploration teams visit."

Bidoof nodded, "You sure know a lot, yes sirree! And that's good to know! All right, then. Come find me when you're all ready to go. I'll give you a helping hand with selecting the right outlaw for you."

Martha bowed her head in thanks and smiled, "Thank you. How nice of you, Bidoof!"

Bidoof looked away, "G-golly, you're embarrassing me! Aw, shucks… I'll be waiting at the guild's upper underground floor for you." Bidoof nodded and made his way back to the guild.

Martha turned to Ian and said, "Okay, let's go. I'd like to see what kinds of items are available! Let's go to Kecleon Market! Before we head back, a visit to Kecleon Market is a must!"

Ian nodded, and said as he pointed down the path branching off the main one, "All right, but what about those two buildings over there? You never talked about them."

Martha turned to look where he was pointing and saw the small building shaped like a Chansey, and the large stone structure with a pair of large bones along the roof flanking a massive skull decorated with a wreath of feathers.

Martha's smile fell a bit as she regarded the pink building, "Oh, that's the Chansey Day Care. Sometimes, exploration teams can get Pokémon Eggs as rewards for doing missions, and Chansey looks after them until the Pokémon hatches. To be honest, I never paid attention to it, because the thought of an egg being given as payment never really sat well with me."

Ian nodded, he could understand that. He didn't really like the idea either. Martha continued as she looked to the stone structure, "I've never been to that other place, but I've heard that Pokémon used to train there before it collapsed. It's closed down now, but there's a notice there that seems very enthusiastic about its reconstruction."

"Pardon?" Ian said. "The _note_ is enthusiastic?"

Martha motioned for him to follow as she walked down the path, "Here, you'll need to see it to understand."

The two of them walked to the doorway of the building, beneath the skull, and there was a rope blocking entrance with a message carved in a wooden plank fastened to the rope.

_"__Marowak Dojo has collapsed. But it will rise from the rubble again! Yes! The Dojo will be resurrected to its former glory!_

_"__-Marowak Dojo's Sensei-"_

Ian nodded. It was a very enthusiastic message. "Well, I'm interested, and if we're supposed to get stronger for exploring, maybe we should visit this place when it's open again."

Martha shrugged, "Maybe; now, come on! Let's get to the market already!"

On the way there, Ian looked around, seeing the various Pokémon milling about Treasure Town. He said, "Say, why don't you take the Treasure Bag and go ahead to the market without me? I'd like to talk with some of the Pokémon around here."

Martha turned to him with a raised eyebrow, "Shouldn't we stay together? Why do you want to?"

'I want to see if I can ferret out any rumors about the state of the world, how far the process has gone. Or better yet, a rumor about a wayward Grovyle traveling from place to place.' is what he was thinking, but Ian smiled and said, "We're just starting out, and I can see other Pokémon from the guild, along with some other groups that have Explorer Badges. I want to see if I can get any tips on taking down our first outlaw, or if there are any useful pieces of information about exploring in general. And with the two of us splitting up to cover both of these tasks, we'll be done that much faster!"

Martha smiled and nodded, "That's smart of you, Ian! All of these other Pokémon probably have experience, and it would be great if we could get some advice." Ian nodded back and handed the Treasure Bag, smiling and waving as Martha walked on ahead.

Ian spent the next ten or so minutes talking with everyone around the town square. Unfortunately, most of his conversations were hopelessly devoid of any useful information. He did get one or two tips that he'd be able to share with Martha, but nothing for himself. He decided to make his way to Kecleon Market, but he saw another pair of Pokémon, a Shuppet and a Murkrow.

He walked up to them, idly noting that Martha was standing at the counter of the green Kecleon running the market, trying to decide what to buy, and the Shuppet regarded him coolly, "Is there something you need? We're Team Ebony. We've traveled and explored all over."

'I guess first I should at least try getting some results for Martha.' "My partner and I are new apprentices training at the guild. We're going after our first outlaw today, and I'd appreciate any and all wisdom from an experienced exploration team like you." Ian knew that a little flattery could go a long way. Some Pokémon just liked being told how great they were.

It had the desired effect, and Murkrow said, "Well, if you insist, there is one thing that we can tell you. Whom you fight is not everything. It is important, having to do with type advantages, yes. But what oftentimes matters most is location."

Shuppet said, "Outlaws instinctively hide out where they are only a little stronger than the native Pokémon, barring a few exceptions. The reason for this is that if the outlaw is weaker than the native Pokémon, he will be defeated and expelled from the dungeon before he can make his hideout. But if the outlaw is too strong, then exploration teams like you and me catch wind of an abnormally strong Pokémon in the area."

"All in all, if it's your first outlaw, you might want to pick a place that's familiar to you, where you're stronger than the native Pokémon, but also strong enough to deal with a marginally stronger Pokémon than the natives," Murkrow finished.

"However," Shuppet added, "I like you, so I'll give you a little extra warning. If you're lacking confidence, and you want a little insurance, you can get a Reviver Seed. Just make sure you have somebody to defend you. It heals you faster if you lie still, but you'll be quite vulnerable."

Ian nodded, and said, "One more thing, I've heard about time getting out of hand. Any idea how far the paralysis has reached?"

Shuppet's eyes widened, "Paralysis? What do you mean? Are you talking about that rumor that time stops in an area if the Time Gear is removed?"

The problem ran much deeper than that, but Ian merely nodded in response, and Murkrow said, "Well, all the Time Gears are still where they belong, presumably, since there hasn't been news of time stopping in large areas. So, the world is still as fine as it can be right now."

'Good. So it's still in the early stages. Temporal Tower must only have suffered minimal collapse so far… But that also means that Grovyle hasn't started yet. Is he all right? Or perhaps he's looking for me? Darn! We can't afford to waste any time! Things might be all right now, but soon the collapse will start to accelerate. If we're too slow, it might be too late!'

Something bumped Ian's side, and he turned to find Martha with a helpless look on her face. "Ian, please tell me that you got some good advice! There were so many good items available that I couldn't decide which ones to buy! We only have a little over 800 Poké, so we need to pick carefully!"

Ian nodded, "Yeah, I got some information." As they walked back to the market, Ian said, "First, did you store the extra items we had in Kangaskhan Storage?"

Martha nodded, "Yup! The bag was full anyway, so I dropped off some extra items that weren't needed there. I also put the Zinc Band in."

"Good. Sunflora, a fellow apprentice, said that we should keep a well-stocked supply of items to aid future explorations. Now let's see what Kecleon Market has." The two of them walked up to the counter where the green and purple Kecleon brothers greeted them.

Ian looked through the items that they had available on the shelf today. A glowing seed immediately caught his eye. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at it.

The younger, green Kecleon glanced at it and said, "Ah, you have a good eye, sir! That is a Reviver Seed! Excellent to have for an exploration! Usually our stock of them is swept clean right away, so you're lucky to find one today! If it pleases you, it only costs 800 Poké."

Martha seemed unsure, "I don't know, Ian… That's pretty much everything we have…"

Ian turned to her, "Murkrow and Shuppet of Team Ebony, an experienced exploration team, said that a Reviver Seed is good to have as insurance if you're tackling a foe that you might lose to. I know that Bidoof is going to help us pick out a weaker one, but you can never be too careful. Besides, even if we wind up not needing it, we'll have it for any time that we do, and we can always find more money during our explorations."

Martha seemed to think about it for a while, and then nodded, "All right. I guess I'm all for safety measures."

Ian turned back to the younger brother, "We'll take the Reviver Seed." Martha reached into the Poké Pocket and said, "800 Poké." A smallish bag with a golden P was resting on her paw as she pulled it out. Martha set it on the counter and the older, purple Kecleon brother took it while the younger brother handed Ian the item.

Both of them said, "Thanks! Please come again!"

Placing the item in the Treasure Bag, Ian was about to offer to take the bag back when a voice called, "Misters Kecleon!" A Marill and Azurill ran up and stopped at the counter where the older Kecleon was. The Marill had a small cloth bag.

The younger Kecleon said, "Ah! Little Marill and Azurill! Welcome, my young friends!"

Azurill bowed and said, "Hello. May I buy an Apple?"

"Oh, most certainly." Marill handed the bag and the brothers counted out the proper 25 Poké and put the fruit in the bag. After handing the bag back to Marill, he smiled said, "Thank you, Misters Kecleon!"

Both Kecleon brothers bowed and the older said, "No, thank you, my young friends! You are to be admired!"

Marill and Azurill left, and the two brothers noticed Martha's curious look. The younger Kecleon explained, "You see, those delightful children are brothers."

"Lately, their poor mother has fallen sick," the other continued, "So those youngsters come and do the shopping for her."

The younger finished, "It's quite remarkable. Though very young, they've stepped up and taken charge."

Marill and Azurill came back and Marill called, "Misters Kecleon!"

The younger Kecleon tilted his head, "Oh? What's the hurry? What makes you return in such a rush?"

Azurill had an Apple balanced on his head, "There was an extra Apple!"

"We didn't pay for this many," Marill added.

"Oh, yes," the older Kecleon said, "That, young friends is a gift from me and my brother. Please, share it among yourselves and do enjoy."

"Really?!" Marill asked. Azurill cheered, "Yay! Thank you, Mr. Kecleon and Mr. Kecleon!"

The younger Kecleon nodded, "Oh, not to worry, my friends. Do take care on your way home."

Marill and Azurill started to leave, but Azurill tripped as Marill walked on. He dropped the Apple he had and it rolled back a ways towards Ian.

Ian picked up the Apple and offered it back after Azurill came back. Azurill bowed and said, "W-we're sorry to bother you. Thank you so much."

As Ian handed the Apple back to Azurill. He was struck by a wave of dizziness. At first he dismissed it, but when it struck again, he recognized the pre-symptoms of his special ability.

'Wh-what?! Here…?! How-?!'

Out of his control, now that it had started, a streak of light raced across his vision, and in a flash of light, he heard a voice.

_'"__H-h-h… HELP!"'_

The light receded, and he was looking at Azurill again.

Ian was rooted to the spot as he wondered just what had happened. 'A Dimensional Scream?! But… that's not possible! Why would it…?!'

Azurill tilted his head, "Is something the matter?"

Marill came back and called for Azurill, "Hey, Azurill! What's going on? Let's hurry home!"

Azurill turned towards his brother and said, "Yup! I'm coming! Wait up!"

As the two brothers regrouped and left, Ian was doing some deep pondering of why his ability activated.

'All right, don't just freak out about it; try to figure out why. First condition: a trusted Pokémon partner.' He glanced at Martha as she said, "Ha! Those little guys sure are cute!" 'Well… She's a Pokémon, and I guess I trust her, to an extent. She's extremely kind and trusting, and I'd bet that she doesn't have a single malicious bone in her body. All right, second condition: the trigger object must have some relation to a Time Gear… That's the confusing thing about it… I doubt that these children would have _anything_ to do with a Time Gear. If that's the case, then why did it trigger…?'

Martha said something, and Ian said, "Sorry, what?"

"I said 'What's the matter?'" Martha repeated. "You spaced out for a few seconds. Are you daydreaming?"

Ian shook his head, and Martha said, "Well then, let's hustle, Ian! If we're done shopping, then we should get back to Bidoof."

Ian thought hard as he stared at the back of Martha's head as they walked. Perhaps, if he trusts her enough to activate the Dimensional Scream, he can trust her enough to tell her about it. If push comes to shove, he might have to.

'That shout… That was Azurill's scream!'

Once they got back to the part of town where Duskull's bank was, they saw Marill and Azurill talking with a Drowzee.

Once Martha noticed, and recognized Marill and Azurill, she said, "Say! What are they up to?"

Azurill was cheering and Marill said, "Thank you!"

Drowzee waved his hand and said, "Please! It's nothing."

Ian and Martha walked up to the group and Martha asked what was going on. After Azurill greeted us, Marill explained, "Some time ago, we lost an item that's pretty important to us… We've been looking all over… But we haven't found it yet!" He turned to look at Drowzee, "Then Mr. Drowzee came along… And he says that he may have seen our lost item somewhere!" Turning back to Ian and Martha, he added, "He even offered to help us look for it. We're so happy about this!"

Martha said, "Is that right? How nice for you!"

Ian, however remained silent and stared at Drowzee. The yellow and brown Pokémon had an amiable expression on his face. But, to Ian, this situation was highly suspect. Where he came from, Pokémon didn't just conveniently know something you needed and offer it for nothing. Also, there were many red flags to Ian. First, Drowzee had said "may" have seen their item. That's no guarantee that he did; he could easily be lying.

As Azurill thanked Drowzee, he said, "Oh, please… I'd have to have a cold heart to ignore kids in need! I can't turn a blind eye! Let us be on our way to begin our search!"

Second, if he was really just trying to help, he could've just as easily told them the location and they could ask an exploration team for help. But, by going with them, he's the only one that knows where they're going, and he's going to be alone with them.

Both of the brothers agreed, and the three of them moved to leave, but Drowzee accidentally bumped into Ian.

"Whoops! Excuse me."

As Drowzee left after the two children, Ian felt another wave of dizziness coming on. 'Again?'

Martha said, "That Drowzee sure is nice. You've got to admire that! With more and more bad Pokémon around… it's hard to do good deeds."

Ian was too occupied by the effects of his ability. 'Then this is no coincidence… I can really use the Dimensional Scream in this time, somewhat more freely than in the past…'

As there was the flash of light, a scene was displayed before him.

_'__In a mountainous region, Drowzee and Azurill were standing alone in a wide area._

_'"__If you keep being difficult," Drowzee threatened, "it will mean big trouble for you!"_

_'"__H-h-h… HELP!"'_

The light vanished, along with any hesitance on Ian's part. He had to tell her about his ability, otherwise, she'd never believe him about his vision. But he had to do it in a way that didn't blow his cover.

Martha continued, unaware of Ian's vision, and of his decision, "It would be nice if those cute little guys found their item soon."

Ian turned around to face Martha, and she raised an eyebrow, "Huh? Is anything the matter, Ian? Why are you looking so grim?"

Keeping his voice steady, Ian asked, "Is there somewhere private we can talk?"

Martha looked confused, but suggested Sharpedo Bluff. After they arrived at the bluff shaped as its namesake, a Sharpedo, Ian looked around to make sure that no one was around.

"Ian, you're making me nervous," Martha said. "What is it that you want to tell me?"

After double-checking, Ian said, "I had a vision. One of my memories came back. I have a secret ability, known as the Dimensional Scream. I don't remember what I used it for, but sometimes, when I touch an object or person, I get a vision of its past or future. When I bumped into Drowzee, I saw a vision of the future. Drowzee and Azurill were alone in a mountainous region and Drowzee was threatening Azurill! We need to go rescue him right away! But listen! This ability that I have, it's a secret to everyone! I met you when I first arrived, and you've been nothing but kind to me, so I'm putting a _lot_ of trust in you by telling you this. _Please_ keep it a secret! But, right now, this is an emergency! We _need _to go now!"

Ian poured as much as he could into convincing Martha of his sincerity, but his heart fell as he saw the confused, but disbelieving look on her face. "Well… what you describe does _sound_ like an emergency, but… Well, it's not like I don't trust you, Ian, but… I just can't believe it! After all, Drowzee seemed to be a sincerely nice Pokémon, didn't he? I saw the three of them go off together earlier… They looked like they were having a good time, didn't they?" She smiled, and said as if – at least that's how it felt to Ian – addressing a child, "You're probably just tired, Ian. Maybe that's why you just had that bad daydream."

Ian's thoughts were of the exact opposite kind. 'I know what I saw! It wasn't a bad daydream; it _will_ happen if we don't stop it. No, if _I_ don't stop it. I'm sorry to do this, Martha, but if you're too naïve to see the truth, then I'll just have to take matters into my own hands!'

Martha continued, unaware of Ian's plan forming in his mind, "Anyway, we're only apprentices. We can't just go off on our own. Sure, it's a little odd, but… We have to focus on our guild work for now. We're all packed, let's go meet up with Bidoof. He should be waiting for us on the guild's upper underground floor."

Ian smiled, if Drowzee could fool her, he should have no problem. "Of course, Martha, we _are _just apprentices after all," Ian said, carefully keeping the sarcasm out of his voice. His goal wasn't to be teasing, but to sound sincere. He briefly appreciated the irony of having to fake sincerity after his partner didn't believe his real sincerity.

"But first," Ian added, "I need to stop by Kangaskhan Storage to pick something up. I noticed that you left a very important item behind. One that'll probably be needed to catch the outlaw. You go on ahead, I'll catch up. You know how fast a runner I am; I won't be long."

Martha smiled, "That's the spirit! You go do that, and we'll meet back up at Wigglytuff's Guild! See you later!"

Ian intentionally let her leave with the Treasure Bag. If he had asked for it, even Martha might have gotten suspicious. Ian waited a few moments, and then he left the bluff, following the path back to Treasure Town. He stopped at Kangaskhan Storage and took out the Zinc Band. He wasn't lying when he said that it would probably be needed to catch their first outlaw. After he tightened it around his arm, he took off running out of town after he was out of sight of the citizens at the crossroads. Sniffing with his new Pokémon nose, he detected the fresh scent trail of the three Pokémon that had left.

As Ian ran after them to catch up, he had to be completely honest with himself. He was doing this to rescue Azurill, yes, and it would get today's assignment done to catch the outlaw, sure, but Ian had an ulterior motive.

'This vision… I'm confident that I didn't have it for no reason at all… If this mission is somehow, albeit very, very loosely, tied to a Time Gear, then I have to follow this path!' He continued following the trail and saw Mt. Bristle in the distance. 'If I can find a Time Gear, then I might be able to find Grovyle!'

* * *

**Wow, I was trying to express more in the chapters this time around, and this chapter wound up being, like, twice as long as its ANL counterpart! Please review to let me know how I did with expressing more in my writing!**

**-AJ203**


	5. Black, White & Shades of Gray

**This chapter got done a lot sooner, since the story part of the game was very close. So I figured why the heck not, and I decided to post it today.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Black, White, and Shades of Gray

When Ian arrived at the foot of Mt. Bristle, he knew that his vision was already coming to pass. He found the entrance and saw Marill calling out, "Azurill! Mr. Drowzee! Azurill!"

Ian ran up beside Marill and startled him with his approach, but he said, "No time to explain why I'm here; I just am." He held up his badge, "I'm Ian of Team Rapid; what's the situation?"

Marill stuttered, "A-an exploration team? Wait, you were at the-"

"What's the situation?" Ian repeated. He knew enough about exploration team protocol to know that he needed to receive an assignment from a client (whether a citizen or a superior) in order to act in representation of his team.

Marill sniffled and said, "My brother and Mr. Drowzee; they went in there. I thought that they'd be right back, but they haven't come back for a long time! I've been calling for them, but they're not coming back!"

Ian nodded, "Do you want me to go in and bring back your brother?"

Marill nodded, "Yes! Please, I'm so worried!"

Ian fixed his badge to his Zinc Band, "Then I've got a mission. You go back to get help. I'll go on ahead." Marill nodded and ran off. Ian dropped to all fours and ran through the entrance. As usual, the mystery dungeon reformed itself into rooms and corridors. The sky was still visible, since it was a mountain.

Ian looked around for a way to go. 'No Wonder Map… I'll just have to make a map in my head!' Ian darted off down a hallway to his right. As he ran down the hall, he got a good look at the terrain of the mountain from the corridor walls and the floor that he was running along.

'Barren, potentially deadly, and so much gray,' Ian thought to himself dryly. 'Suddenly, I feel right at home…'

* * *

Martha was shifting nervously from paw to paw. What was taking Ian so long? Wasn't he just going to get something from storage for the exploration?

'He can't have gotten lost; Treasure Town isn't that big. Could he have…? Nah, that can't be. He may have been suspicious of Drowzee, but he wouldn't go after him on just a hunch. Besides, all of our items are right here. Ian knows better than to go on a mission without a map, items and backup.'

As Martha told herself this, her thoughts returned to the day that they first met. 'Then again… Ian _can _get a bit carried away when others are threatened by bad guys… I mean, he was ready to take on two opponents by himself for someone he just met… If he was telling the truth about his ability to see the future… and if he saw Azurill being threatened… No, no, no! I'm being ridiculous! If _that _were true, then that would mean Azurill _and_ Ian are in danger. So that just _can't_ be!'

"I'm sure he'll come down that ladder any second now!" Martha said cheerfully to no one in particular.

"Golly, I hope so," Bidoof added. "Would you mind if I picked your outlaw for you, and then you wait for Ian? I have my own work to do today, and Chatot won't be happy if I'm late…"

Martha was about to answer when a siren blared through the entire first sublevel of the guild. Three uniform voices called out from seemingly nowhere, "Stand clear! Updating listings! Stand clear! Updating listings!"

Martha jumped back as she yelped, "Wah! Wh-what's going on?!"

"Oh, the data's getting updated," Bidoof calmly replied.

"It's being… updated?" Martha quizzically asked.

Quick as a thought, the Outlaw Notice Board flipped over, showing the blank other side. Martha looked at the blank side, "Wha…? How did…?"

Bidoof turned to her and explained, "The Outlaw Notice Board and Job Bulletin Board are set up on revolving panels. While the panel is flipped over, a Pokémon named Dugtrio swaps out the old jobs with the new ones. Updating data is Dugtrio's duty. He tunnels his way to our guild… Then he flips the panel and updates the data. This duty doesn't get noticed much, but it's very important. Yup yup! That's why Dugtrio take such great pride in the duty he does!"

Martha raised an eyebrow, "Oh, is that so?"

The siren rang again, "Update completed! Stand clear! Update completed! Stand clear!"

Martha and Bidoof turned back to the board, and Martha said, "Oh, looks like he's done."

The panel flipped after a slight tremor, and Bidoof said, "Yes sirree! The data is updated! The list of outlaws has been refreshed, so let's pick one."

Suddenly, Martha started trembling. She was staring at one of the posters, a look that seemed to be a cross between anger and fear on her face. Bidoof turned to her, "Huh? What's ailing you? Why are you shivering all of a sudden? It's not cold here, after all."

Martha couldn't even hear him speak. Her eyes were glued to the poster on the top left, and her mind raced. The poster had a familiar face on it. It was a wanted poster for a Pokémon she had seen not even twenty minutes ago. Drowzee, bounty of 3,000 Poké. Martha felt angry, but she couldn't tell whether she was angry at Drowzee for tricking her or herself for not believing Ian.

'Ian _was_ telling the truth! I need to find him! _Now!_ He needs back up!' Without any explanation to Bidoof, Martha jumped up and took down the poster with her teeth and stuffed it into the Treasure Bag, accepting the mission, and ran off up the ladder.

As Martha ran out of the guild and down the steps, she was mentally yelling at herself. 'How could I have let Ian out of my sight?! Why did I just believe that he'd let the matter drop? At least Azurill will be protected by him. But if anything happens to Ian or Azurill, it'll be my fault!'

Martha reached the bottom of the stairs and ran into Marill. She ran up to him and said, "Marill! What happened?! Where are Azurill and Drowzee? Did you see my partner?"

Marill nodded, "Ian sent me back here to get help, but he went after my brother and Mr. Drowzee already. Did he send me here to get you?"

Seeing the opportunity, Martha nodded quickly, "Yes! I was off to go help him just now, as a matter of fact. Please, lead me to where he went!"

* * *

Ian was panting in a corridor, having finally managed to lose the opponent that had been tailing him. 'Damn Geodudes.'

So far, Ian had made it up seven floors of Mt. Bristle. He had the advantage that it would take Drowzee time as well to lead Azurill to the end of the dungeon, but it was harder than he thought it would be.

Ian had managed to take down the Doduo and Starly, but everything else proved problematic. The Spinarak, Nidorina and Nidorino all had dangerous poison. If one of those attacks or barbs poisoned Ian, it would be all over for him. The Machop weren't as big a problem, but they were tough enough to take his electric shocks, and their counterattacks were fierce. And of course, there just _had_ to be Geodudes. Ground-types. Immune to his electricity at his current level of power. And with their rock bodies, there was virtually no choice except to flee.

On top of all of that, Ian's mental mapping of the dungeon floors wasn't perfect. Occaisonally, he would run into a dead end. If he hadn't spent years learning to make a map in his head, he would've been even worse off and probably wouldn't have made it past the first floor. Grovyle and he didn't have the luxury of a Wonder Map when they were on the run from the Sableye.

By calling upon his experience, and lying low to let his new Pokémon healing factor restore his energy every once in a while, Ian had managed to take down enough enemies and gained enough experience to learn Thunder Wave. It had saved him a good number of times shortly after he learned it. When he was cornered just now, he managed to paralyze the Machop and Nidorino and outrun the Geodude.

Panting, Ian decided that he'd gotten enough rest and ran down the hall, trying to find a way to the stairs. After he found them, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Turning towards it, he saw that it was an orb. He wasn't totally ignorant of the items as he pretended to be. He had studied, after all, and Grovyle had used different orbs a fair few times to help them escape capture.

'Yes… This will be good for getting Azurill away from Drowzee before the battle.' He picked up the orb and headed up the stairs to the next floor.

* * *

"This is where you last saw them?" Martha asked, looking at the imposing Mt. Bristle.

Marill nodded, "Y-yes."

Martha was nervous, but she didn't want Marill to worry. So she smiled and said, "Don't worry! If Ian's on the case already, I'm sure your brother will be perfectly fine!"

Marill shakily nodded, and Martha started running forward, pulling the Wonder Map out of the Treasure Bag and holding it in her mouth as the landscape changed into a mystery dungeon and Marill disappeared from view along with the entrance.

'I just hope that Ian won't get himself killed to protect him.'

* * *

Azurill walked forward with Drowzee, but they came up to a wall. The only thing that distinguished it from any other wall in the dungeon was a small hole at the level of the floor.

"Uh-oh," Azurill said, "It's a dead end." Azurill turned around, "Excuse me, Mr. Drowzee. Where is my lost item? Could you show me where the item is now?"

Drowzee shook his head, "Sorry, kiddo. Your lost item? It's not here, that's for sure."

"Huh?" Azurill started getting nervous, "My… big brother… My big brother's following us, right? He's coming soon?"

Drowzee shook his head again, "Nope. Your big brother's not coming." He chuckled, "I'll let you in on a little secret. This was all a trick. I deceived you."

Azurill stepped back, "Huh?!"

Waving his hand, Drowzee said, "But let's not dwell on that. There's a little favor I need to ask. See that hole behind you?" Azurill glanced at said hole in the wall behind him, and Drowzee continued, "Well… There's a rumor that there's a trove of thief treasure inside there! But as you can see, I'm too big to squirm my way through that hole. And that's where you come in!"

Azurill looked back at Drowzee, his eyes wide with fear. Drowzee said, "Don't worry. Just do as I say. Do that, then I'll help you get back out of here."

Azurill started trembling, "B-but…"

Drowzee urged him along, "Go on, get going!" He stepped closer, "Go into that hole. And don't forget to bring back the treasure!"

Azurill started crying, and ran around Drowzee to try and get away, "I want my big brother!"

"H-hey! Stop that!" Drowzee ran after Azurill and was about to catch him, but a small yellow figure tackled him straight in the gut, knocking him off balance. Before Drowzee could recover, he heard, "Azurill! Wherever you wind up, stay low and stay hidden!"

Drowzee got his bearings back just in time to see Ian point a blue orb with a white wing on it at Azurill. A tiny ball of energy flew out in a straight path and touched Azurill. His body flashed white, and he was teleported away. **(AN: Warp Orb, warps a Pokémon target away; target range: line of sight.)**

"Wh-what?!" Drowzee shouted. What had just happened? How had his entire plan fallen apart so quickly? He looked at the Pikachu in front of him. It was his fault! Everything was going smoothly until he came along! Drowzee saw the Explorer Badge on his arm, and he took a step back, "An exploration team?! How did you find this place?!"

Ian glared at him and seethed as he said, "I don't owe you any answers, you low-life. You're going to pay for your crimes."

Drowzee panicked for a moment, but then he noticed some key advantages. First, for all of the Pikachu's declarations, it was one-on-one, so his odds of victory were fairly good. Second, the only item that he had was the orb that had now shattered after its use. There was a band, but it was probably just to hold his badge there.

Drowzee smirked, "Hm, well, you're a pretty sorry looking exploration team. Is your teammate invisible? And you must not be that smart if you came to catch an outlaw without any items. That's right, I have a bounty on my head. But can you do the job? Can you confront this outlaw and bring him to justice? This should be a laugh. Let's see if you can take me down. Show me what you've got."

Ian shot a Thunder Wave, but the instant that he started moving to fire it, Drowzee moved to dodge it, using his psychic ability, Forewarn. Drowzee used Confusion on Ian to counter, and Ian was lifted off the ground slightly and felt the psychic pressure. But it fizzled out, only causing minimal damage.

Ian used Thunder Shock on Drowzee while he was off guard. Smirking, he lifted his badge slightly, revealing the Z that the badge had been covering on his Zinc Band. He placed it back down, "Tsk tsk tsk, should've done your homework."

Ian pressed his advantage while Drowzee was still distracted and hit him with Thunder Wave. Electricity buzzed around Drowzee as the paralysis took effect. Ian managed to get another Thunder Shock to connect, but Drowzee growled and thrust his hand out. His anger amplified his Confusion and Ian's Zinc Band burst apart, the psychic power attacking his body and mind full-force. **(AN: Critical hit; it actually happened in the game to Ian.)**

Ian was knocked to the ground and blood leaked out of his nose and mouth from the internal injuries. Drowzee stomped over, occasionally held up by the paralysis. "I've had enough of these games. You're finished."

Drowzee lifted his foot to stomp Ian, but a Reviver Seed floated up and attached to Ian's back. The sight was enough to make Drowzee pause as it took root and started healing him.

Ian smiled, "About _time_ she got here."

Martha charged in and Tackled Drowzee in the face. He was knocked flat on his back, and Martha said, "Ian, if you ever put yourself in danger again without telling me, I'll never forgive you."

Ian tried sitting up, but his injuries wouldn't allow it, so he settled for tilting his head, "I _tried_ telling you."

"I know," Martha said contritely. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you, but let me handle the rest of this."

Drowzee had gotten up, and he regarded the Eevee with frustration. Another one? And this one had items? He was already getting tired from that fight with the Pikachu! And he still had the paralysis on him. Things weren't looking so good for him now.

But he hid it as he said, "What, did you two lovebirds have an argument and split up before coming here?"

Martha narrowed her eyes, "Shut your mouth, you big bully. Nobody, I repeat, _nobody_ hurts my friends."

Drowzee started moving to use Confusion, but Martha kicked sand in his eyes with Sand-Attack. While Drowzee was blinded and haphazardly shooting psychic power everywhere, Martha rooted through the Treasure Bag and found a Blast Seed. Holding it in her mouth, she ran forward and Tackled Drowzee again. Then, bouncing off of him, she flipped and crunched down on the Blast Seed, breathing fire on him.

"Arrgh!" Drowzee cried out from the burns and shielded his face as the flames hit him. Martha immediately darted away as he opened his tearing eyes and tried to hit her with Confusion, as he turned to follow her with his eyes, more sand was kicked into his face.

Ian was surprised at the aggressive fighting style that Martha was using. As he tested his body's movements to see if he was healed enough to move, he decided to be a little more careful about what he said around Martha. 'We're friends, and I think I could take her in a friendly spar, but she's kind of scary right now. I wouldn't want that directed at me…'

Drowzee, for his part, felt like he was in a nightmare. He had defeated or outsmarted tons of exploration teams! How could he lose to this no-name bunch?! Trying desperately time and time again to land one of his psychic attacks, he found that he couldn't. One of the major drawbacks of psychic attacks was that the user had to have the target in sight. And he couldn't _see _anything with sand getting kicked in his eyes every half-minute. Drowzee wished that he had taken the Pikachu or even the Azurill hostage, but it was too late now. He couldn't see anything, and he didn't even know where that Azurill kid had been teleported to!

Martha hit Drowzee with another Tackle attack, and he started teetering, looking like he was about to drop. As she moved to finish him, a Thunder Shock attack flew across the room and finished Drowzee off. Drowzee swayed for a bit, then fell over on his stomach, out cold.

Martha turned and found Ian standing up, the last of the energy within the Reviver Seed's roots fading before they crumbled and the seed fell and lost its glow, becoming a Plain Seed.

Martha ran over to Ian, "Are you okay, Ian? You weren't hurt too badly, were you? I'm so sorry, all of this is my fau-"

"No, it's not," Ian said. "You didn't cause all of this to happen. Drowzee was the one who held Azurill here against his will, and it was going to happen whether or not you believed what I said." He gave her a firm glance to remind her to keep it a secret, and then continued, "What's most important is that Azurill is safe. On that note… Azurill! It's safe to come out now, wherever you are!"

At Ian's call, Azurill came out from a nondescript area near one of the edges of the peak. He had been hiding behind a medium-sized rock ever since he was warped near it.

The two of them met up with Azurill and Martha said, "We're here to rescue you. Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

Azurill shook his head and nodded towards Ian, "I'm okay. He helped hide me from Drowzee."

Martha smiled, "Great! What a relief! Your big brother's waiting. Let's go home!"

"Okay," Azurill said with a nod.

"What about him?" Ian said, jabbing a thumb in Drowzee's direction. "How do we get him to the police?"

"Oh, that's easy," Martha said as she took out the wanted poster of Drowzee. "You just take your badge, and do this." She took off her badge and pressed the front of it to the picture of Drowzee, leaving an outline of the badge written in light over it, before throwing it on top of his unconscious form. Drowzee was surrounded by a golden light, and he was warped away. Martha's and Ian's badges glowed shortly afterwards, and Martha said, "And now, we can use our badges to warp out of here with Azurill."

The three of them grouped together, and they were warped back to the entrance of the dungeon. They were surprised to see a Magnezone and two Magnemite there with Drowzee in tow. Turns out that Marill had already called the police, so Drowzee was warped to them when they arrived.

Magnezone spoke up, "ZZZT! I am Magnezone, the primary officer in this region! ZZZT! Thanks to you… We have been able to arrest a wanted outlaw! ZZZT! We owe you great thanks for your cooperation! ZZZT! We will send the reward to your guild. Thank you again! ZZZT!" Magnezone turned to Drowzee, "ZZZT! Now come with us! ZZZT!"

Drowzee groaned as he was led away.

"Azurill!"

The three Pokémon turned and Marill was standing there. Azurill sniffled, "Marill!" They ran to each other, and Azurill started crying when he reached his big brother. "Waaaaaah! Marill! It was so scary!"

"You okay, Azurill? Are you hurt?" Marill asked.

Martha shook her head, "He's fine. The little guy's not hurt in any way."

"Really?" Marill asked. Then he sighed, "That's a relief!" His eyes started getting teary, "Oh, Azurill… Azurill…"

Ian smiled, "I'm happy for the two of you."

The two of them turned to Ian and Martha. Marill bowed in thanks, "You did this all for us, Ian and Martha. We won't forget what you did for us. Thank you so much." He turned to Azurill, "Come on, Azurill, you too."

Azurill sniffled, "Yup… Thank you very much! Thank you for rescuing me!"

"Really…" Marill said, "Really, thank you!"

After the two brothers left and Team Rapid made their way back to the guild, Ian noticed that something was weird about the Treasure Bag. It seemed… less full. He asked Martha about it, and she pulled the flap open, revealing that the item level inside seemed to have dropped.

"What…? But it has the same amount of items…" She looked and found a note taped to the inside of the flap. Ian pulled it off.

_"__In recognition of Team Rapid's early outstanding achievement, you have been rewarded with an enlarged Treasure Bag._

_"__Use it well._

_"__-Exploration Team Federation"_

Martha leaned over and read it, "Wow! We're already moving up! That's great!"

Ian nodded and said, "So, Martha, can you tell me more about these revolving panels that the two boards are placed on?"

* * *

Once Ian and Martha got back to the guild (Ian had the Treasure Bag again), Chatot was waiting for them in front of the Outlaw Notice Board. He nodded in acknowledgement, "I've received the bounty from Officer Magnezone for the captured outlaw! Well done, you two! Here's your share for the job. It's yours to keep."

Martha was the only one surprised when they received a small bag with 300 Poké. As Ian put it in the Poké Pocket, Martha said, "No way! This is all we get?! After all our effort…"

Chatot only said, "But of course! It's all part of the training!" He smiled, "And we expect just as much effort tomorrow! Hee-heeee!"

Martha groaned and turned to Ian, "It would be nice if they'd give us a slightly bigger share of the reward."

"It would be nice," Ian said, "but it's not going to happen."

Martha bounced back, "But that's all right. We managed to rescue Azurill. And it's all thanks to you, Ian! Because of- er, you-know-what, you learned about Azurill's trouble in advance, and got there to help."

Ian shook his head, "It would've all been for nothing if you hadn't come in when you did. Thank you for saving me."

Martha smiled, "We're a team! We look out for each other."

"But…" Ian said, "I think that we need to have a talk about something. I've noticed that this town doesn't really-"

Ian was cut off as there was a loud growling sound. Martha blushed, and Ian realized that the growl came from her stomach. He snickered, but then his stomach growled too.

Martha laughed, "Ha ha ha! Your stomach growled too, Ian! I guess we must be famished! We were so focused on rescuing Azurill that I didn't notice at all!" Both of their stomachs growled again, and Martha said, "Come on, let's go get dinner, Ian."

As they headed down the ladder, Ian said, "I guess it can wait until afterwards."

Later that night, after dinner, everybody in the guild went to sleep. Or rather, they tried to. A massive storm had rolled in, complete with rolling thunder and crackling lightning. Ian, for his part, was high-strung because of it. Since he was an Electric-type Pokémon now, having so much lightning in the air was driving him up the wall.

Regardless, he sat cross-legged on his bed and crossed his arms as he put together what he was going to say to Martha in his head. Martha was looking out the window and she said, "Wow, that lightning's intense!"

"I know," Ian mumbled, "I can _feel _it…"

Martha didn't hear and she said, "It looks like it's really stormy tonight…" Then she gasped and turned around, "That reminds me! You know the night before we met, Ian? It was storming that night! I found you out cold on the beach the day after that stormy night, Ian. So do you remember anything about being out cold on the beach? Can you remember anything at all?"

Ian very clearly knew that it was storming the night he arrived. He flew _through_ it. He briefly imagined flying through said storm in his current form. He shook his head, 'I'd attract the bolts like a lightning rod…'

Martha took his head shake for a no, and said, "I guess it won't be that easy. But that's all right. You got your memory of your ability back. Try remembering a little at a time." Ian decided to let it slide, since he was going to answer that he remembered nothing else anyway.

Martha sat down on her bed, "We have to get up early again tomorrow. What was it that you wanted to talk about?"

Ian nodded and uncrossed his arms, sitting slightly more relaxed. "What I wanted to talk about with you was good and evil. I've noticed that this town isn't exactly the most… perceptive community. I mean, when an outlaw can waltz right into a town just because he _says_ he's a nice guy or offers to help out of nowhere, it's time to re-evaluate the way you judge character."

Martha tilted her head, confused, "What do you mean?"

"Most people see good and evil as two exact opposites. Two constants. This or that. Black and white," Ian started.

Martha nodded for him to continue.

"However," Ian continued, "such a thing isn't that simple. First, right and wrong aren't ironclad and set in stone. The two things are subjective. For example, outlaws feel that they are doing the right thing for themselves, and they don't care about who might get hurt. As such, exploration teams hunt them down and bring them to justice. But, to them, what they're doing is right, and we're the villains in their world.

"Second, there aren't just the two extremes. If you mix black and white, what do you get?"

Martha raised an eyebrow, "Gray, obviously."

Ian nodded, "Correct. But with different amounts of black and white, there's a wide variety of different ways that someone can be. Drowzee acted nice and was good when it suited him, but it was only a mask, so to speak. On the flipside, a good Pokémon might be forced to do something that might immediately seem bad, but is actually for a much higher reason that's good."

Ian didn't know why he was bothering to tell Martha this. Perhaps he didn't want her to be tricked so easily in the future… Or, maybe, he was hoping that explaining this to her now would help her understand what he would have to do.

Martha seemed to be thinking really hard. Ian turned to lay down on his bed, "You don't have to say anything now. Try sleeping on it." He yawned. 'I'm actually pretty sleepy tonight from all the work today. I think I'll actually just sleep tonight and investigate the panels tomorrow.'

Martha nodded, "You've given me a lot to think about. Maybe some sleep would be good."

The two of them tried to sleep as the storm raged on outside. After a while, Martha said, "Say, Ian. Are you still awake, Ian? I've been thinking about it since it happened. That ability you have… Maybe it has something to do with you personally, Ian." Ian said nothing, but shifted to let Martha know he was listening.

"I can't quite say why. I sure don't know any other Pikachu who dreams about the future or past. That's why I think those two events are connected. That's the feeling I was getting."

'Keeping up this facade is getting harder and harder… She's just so… helpful about trying to "restore my memory…"'

Martha continued, "I don't know what you were like before, Ian… But I think you must have been a good person." Unseen by Martha, Ian smiled a bit. "After all, Ian, it's your ability that helped us catch that bad Pokémon. You know… Time is getting messed up, bit by bit, all over the world. No one seems to know why."

Ian had to try very hard to not tell her _precisely_ why time was falling apart. He froze at her next statement.

"But everyone believes that the Time Gears are somehow involved."

Ian used all of his self-control to keep his voice nonchalant, "I heard that name being murmured while I was looking for tips. What's everybody think about them?"

"They say Time Gears are hidden in secret places around the world. Like in a forest…"

'Treeshroud Forest…'

"Or at a lake in an underground cavern…"

'That could either be the Underground Lake or Limestone Cave…'

"I've even heard that there is a hidden altar inside a volcano."

'_That_ one is false.'

"At the center of such places… is what's known as a Time Gear. The Time Gears serve a very important function. Each one protects time and keeps time flowing properly in its region. But… what happens if a region loses its Time Gear? I don't really know the answer to that question. But my guess is that if a Time Gear is removed from a region… The flow of time in that region will probably stop too. That's why everyone makes sure never to disturb the Time Gears. Everyone has long been certain that some kind of disaster would strike. So everyone stays away from the Time Gears and doesn't tamper with them. Even the most hardened criminal Pokémon know to avoid messing with them."

Ian's thoughts darkened. 'This… is going to be harder than I thought… For Pokémon to grow so paranoid about something that they avoid investigating how to fix it… Once we begin our operation, every Pokémon in this world, maybe even those who've come to see me as a friend, will be trying to stop us, Grovyle…'

* * *

As the storm rumbled across the continent, the eastern forests were not spared. From west to east, coast to coast, the entire landmass felt the storm's downpour. For anybody to be out in such weather would be considered the height of insanity.

And yet, one figure was indeed out that night. He grit his teeth as the storm rumbled and crackled. He had a new-found hatred for storms since one had separated him from his partner and best friend. He had spent the past few days looking, hoping to find him, but he could no longer afford to wait. They had both agreed that the mission should and _would_ always come first, regardless of what may happen to them.

'It's not like we necessarily have a happy home to return to.'

Flitting through the path with the ease that his form allowed, the figure left sprays of water droplets each time he moved. Once he saw a glow up ahead, he put on an extra burst of speed. He skid to a stop once he saw what he and his partner came for.

Taking a step forward, the figure said, "Do my eyes deceive me? Could it be…? Yes, it is!"

Lightning illuminated the area for a split second, revealing the figure to be a Grovyle. He took another step forward, "I've finally found it! A Time Gear! But… this is only the first of many…"

Only the storm clouds and lightning were witness to the Time Gear being taken that night.


	6. The Last Hurrah?

Chapter 6: The Last Hurrah?

The next morning, Martha was sleeping soundly, but she registered herself being shaken. She tried to ignore it and go back to sleep, but then after a pause in the shaking, she heard, "Clear!"

Remembering the time she'd last heard that, she tried to move, but she still got shocked, effectively ending any chance she had of going back to sleep. She stood up and glared at Ian as he just picked up the Treasure Bag.

"I was getting up that time," she said.

"Didn't seem that way to me," Ian replied. "I'll stop when you start waking up earlier."

After the morning address, Chatot called out to them and said, "Let me give you your assignment for today. Look up jobs on the Job Bulletin Board and Outlaw Notice Board. Do the listed jobs. That will do for today! Understood? No shirking your work, okay?"

The two of them nodded, and Chatot said, "If you understand, get on with it!"

Ian and Martha went up to the upper floor, and looked at the boards. All of the outlaw missions appeared to have been taken already by a team of three Poochyena. But there were still plenty of regular missions.

As they looked them over, Ian spotted only three that they could feasibly do. A rescue and an item search for Beach Cave and a rescue for Drenched Bluff. The rewards were fairly good too. A Red Gummi, among other things, a Reviver Seed, and – he had run the calculation in his mind – 150 Poké, among other things.

He discussed taking those three missions for today with Martha, and she agreed. After they left with the three job letters in tow, they started discussing plans for going to Beach Cave for today.

On the way to Treasure Town, the two of them noticed a Spinda dancing around a boulder near the crossroads, saying, "Hopes and dreams… This is…" He seemed too absorbed in his own thoughts to pay them any mind.

They stopped off at Treasure Town and Ian saw some Pokémon that hadn't been there yesterday. An Ursaring and a Teddiursa, who mentioned how Pokémon can't seem to evolve lately, and the exploration team, Team Glee.

After stopping at Kecleon Market, Ian had noticed that they were selling Sleep Seeds that day. He brought this to Martha's attention and said that one of the other missions for Beach Cave had been asking for a Sleep Seed.

"Wow," Martha commented, "good memory."

After they bought it, along with an extra Oran Berry, they made a quick trip back to the guild to take the aforementioned job. After that, they headed south from the crossroads to the Beach Cave. Along the path, they ran into one of the Krabby that lived around there.

"Ahoy!" he greeted. "Are you headed to the beach? Well… Would you keep an eye out for something, if you could?"

Martha tilted her head, "What is it?"

"Recently…" Krabby started, "there have been bottles washing up on the beach… It looks as though there's something inside those bottles… If that sounds interesting, you might want to look for bottles on the beach."

Ian raised an eyebrow, "Bottles washing up on the beach? It could be messages in there, maybe somebody writing for help. I guess we could keep an eye out for them when we get a chance. Like right now."

As they headed for the Beach Cave, they kept their eyes peeled, and they saw a bottle washed up on the beach. Sure enough, there was a letter inside of it. After Ian pulled out the cork, he shook out the rolled up letter and it was a job letter requesting a Slumber Orb at Drenched Bluff, with a Pecha Scarf offered as a reward.

Martha said, "I guess we can hold onto that one. We're the only ones who know about it, and we can possibly find the item later."

Nodding, Ian tucked the bottle and paper into the Treasure Bag and walked to the entrance of Beach Cave. Once they were there, Martha said, "Ian, did you remember to accept the jobs? You have to open the letter in order to alert the client that you're going to take their request. Otherwise, you can't do the mission, even if you go to the meeting place."

"Oh, thanks Martha." Ian took out the three missions to Beach Cave, and popped open the seals. After he did, the paper inside was revealed, and Ian looked around for a few seconds. "Doesn't feel like anything happened…"

Martha shook her head, "Nothing happens, but the client knows when to meet up."

Shrugging, Ian put the open letters back in the Treasure Bag and the two of them went into the cave.

Ian noted that the enemies were considerably weaker than those at Drenched Bluff. And all of them were Water-type Pokémon, so he was able to sweep them aside with little effort. Once they found Lileep, the Pokémon they were to rescue, on the second floor, their badges started glowing. But they still had more missions to do at the dungeon, so Martha said, "Just ignore it, it goes away after about 20 seconds if you don't press it to leave."

On the next two floors, they found the White Gummi that they were supposed to locate and they delivered the Sleep Seed to their client, Nidorina. After that, they activated their Explorer Badges to leave the dungeon.

Once they were out of the dungeon, they waited at the guild until their clients arrived to give their rewards. As usual, Chatot took 90 percent of whatever money they got, but they got the Reviver Seed and a few gummis.

That night, after everybody was asleep, Ian snuck out of his room again and moved up to the upper floor, where the mission boards were. Moving as quietly as he could, so as to not wake up Chatot, he walked up to the Outlaw Notice Board and tried pushing the left side as hard as he could.

It didn't give, and he tried the right side for good measure. Nothing. 'Dugtrio manages these boards, maybe there's some sort of special way to push them, or maybe there's a lock behind the board.' Ian tried pushing harder, and he felt it give a little, but the instant it did, it snapped back into place, not having enough force to be flipped all the way. He froze at the sound the board made, but since Chatot didn't come down, it must've not been loud enough. Ian sighed; that was the reason, right there. He simply didn't have enough strength in his puny arms to flip the panel.

'If I had my old arms, I could do this! Then again, if I were still a human, I probably wouldn't even be here at the guild. Well, I guess that settles it. No point lamenting my puny form; I'm just going to have to poke around and wait for my moment to slip away once I locate Grovyle. Maybe I can keep trying the panels as I grow stronger. It gave a little, so that's something. I'll just keep trying. But there's nothing more I can do tonight.'

With that settled, Ian turned and went back to bed for the night.

* * *

The next day saw Ian looking a little bleary-eyed as he woke up at his usual time. After all, he had done his night investigation along with a full day of missions. He would have to start alternating when he just slept and when he investigated the guild before sleeping.

After he and Martha reported for the morning address, before Chatot could give them their assignment, they were charged with covering sentry duty for Diglett, since he was covering for his father, Dugtrio.

After Loudred explained how the sentry job worked, Ian and Martha made their way down the tunnel to the area under the grate. It wasn't that hard to find, since it was the only lit area in the entire tunnel, besides the entrance to it back in the guild.

While Loudred was explaining, Ian briefly contemplated his chances of escaping through the sentry post. But he mentally shook his head. 'I saw that grate. It's firmly fixed into the ground. I won't get through any way short of breaking it.'

Regardless, he did his day's assignment with Martha. There was no time for missions that day, as the sentry duty took up the entire day. They managed to identify every visitor correctly until Diglett got back and got rewarded with 500 Poké, a Joy Seed, a Ginseng, and a Life Seed.

That night, Ian went straight to bed since he wouldn't be able to make any progress on escape tonight anyway. No point losing sleep if there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

The following day had been just like any other would. Ian and Martha did missions, three of them, to be exact, for Drenched Bluff. While they were planning that, Ian picked out some missions to Mt. Bristle that they could do the day after that. Hopefully, they would be able to find a few more missions on the day that they were leaving.

While they were leaving for Treasure Town, instead of the Spinda from yesterday, they saw a Wobbuffet and Wynaut standing in front of the boulder. Ian heard the Wynaut say, "Right here, right?" before the Wobbuffet saluted and shouted, "That's right!"

On the way to Kecleon Market, they stored a majority of their Poké in Duskull Bank. Duskull was more than happy to open an account for them. As Ian handed 1,000 Poké to be deposited, he looked at the somewhat medium-sized bag which contained the Poké that he had pulled out of the pocket. It got him thinking. A bag like that didn't necessarily _have_ to be used for Poké, right?

He filed that thought away for later as he and Martha continued on their way towards the market. As they approached, Martha shied away from a rather sinister looking exploration team comprised of a Weavile, a Drapion and an Arbok that were talking near the market on the intersection. Ian paid them no mind; if they didn't bother them, Ian and Martha would probably be left alone. The dark-looking trio seemed too absorbed in their discussion to notice them, anyway. He managed to catch snippets of their discussion, along with the name "Zero Isle."

The two of them bought a little food to put in storage for later, but they didn't find the Slumber Orb that they needed at the market. As such, they could only do two of the three missions that they had for Drenched Bluff.

Martha had managed to locate the Lileep that they were supposed to rescue by looking out over the water. He had been hiding from the other Pokémon in the dungeon that were trying to attack him. Holding up her badge, along with the letter, he was warped out of the dungeon.

The Kabuto outlaw that they were tracking down tried to run away as soon as she spotted them, but a quick Thunder Wave from Ian took that option away from her by severely limiting her movement. After that, it was simply a matter of time before she was beaten into surrendering. Albeit, it was a tough outlaw and a slow process that had to be repeated a few times, but they won out eventually.

With those two missions complete, Team Rapid went back to the guild that day with their heads held high at catching an elusive outlaw and rescuing another Pokémon. They received their rewards – which included a Power Band that was given to Martha in place of her Blue Bow – and went to bed for the night.

Both of them had gotten a little stronger after their missions, so Ian tried pushing the board again that night. Again, it gave a little, but did not flip all the way. However – it could have been his imagination – Ian did feel it give a little more than two days ago.

* * *

At the morning address, Chatot had something else to say, and he didn't look happy to say it.

"Er, ahem. Everyone, listen up. I have an important announcement to make. Far to the northeast, then farther into its outermost reaches… There lies a place named Treeshroud Forest…"

Ian stiffened slightly at the name mentioned. Everybody else was too preoccupied watching Chatot speak to notice.

"In Treeshroud Forest…" Chatot continued, "Time has apparently stopped…"

Everybody except Ian was shocked, but he schooled his face into one of incredulity, so he avoided suspicion. There was clamor from the other apprentices, asking for clarification.

Chatot obliged, "Yes, that's correct… time has come to a standstill in Treeshroud Forest… The wind has stopped… The clouds are motionless… Dewdrops on leaves won't fall… They just hang there, suspended. In Treeshroud Forest, time itself has truly stopped."

"T-time has stopped?!" The usually stoic Dugtrio shouted in disbelief.

Sunflora seemed to be thinking, "But… How could something this awful happen?" Something seemed to occur to her, and she said, "It's unthinkable!"

Chatot nodded gravely, "Yes, the unthinkable has happened. Why has time stopped in Treeshroud Forest? Well, it's because Treeshroud Forest's Time Gear was… stolen!"

Everybody seemed to be in shock and disbelief, and Ian had to put very much effort into stilling his tongue from trying to tell everybody that the Time Gears were being taken for a much greater reason. That the freezing of time would be much, much worse if they weren't taken. However, he knew that doing so would land him in this world's equivalent of a mental institution. He hated to let everybody think that Grovyle was in the wrong here, but-

The proverbial record needle scratched in Ian's mind as his eyes widened. 'Grovyle! He's on the move! Treeshroud Forest… Wow, he wound up far away if that's the first Time Gear he's going for. No… Think of how Grovyle would want to do things… He must want to avoid detection as long as possible… so he's going after Time Gears that have either no guardian or secretive ones! If that's the case… Limestone Cavern! He'll _definitely_ go after that one next! If I can intercept him…'

Loudred's angry voice cut into Ian's thoughts, shouting over everyone's clamor, "I don't get it, though! Why would ANYONE take a Time Gear?!"

Chatot flapped his wings and called out, "Quiet, everyone!" Once the room quieted, he continued, "Officer Magnezone has already started an investigation. It's hard to believe that anyone would dare steal a Time Gear. But if one Time Gear can be stolen, the others may also be in danger. The officer asked to be notified immediately if we notice any suspicious characters. So keep that in mind. Let us know if you notice anything. That is all. All right, everyone! Here's to another busy day of work!"

"HOORAY!"

Chatot turned to Ian and Martha as everybody dispersed, "Oh, you there. You two, come here. You've become quite good at your work. I'm impressed with your capture of Drowzee. That was very admirable! So! You all will finally be assigned a mission worthy of a proper exploration team."

Martha's eyes sparkled, "R-really?! Yay!"

Ian smiled on the outside, but he wasn't all that concerned. 'It won't matter after tonight. I can't afford to let the trail go cold. I'm going to have to chance the climb along the face of the cliff and get to Grovyle!'

Chatot motioned to Ian, "Let me see your Wonder Map." He unrolled it, and a map of the continent appeared on the parchment. Chatot pointed with the tip of his wing, "Treasure Town is here. And…" He drew an imaginary line northeast, "over here is where we would like you to investigate." His wingtip came to rest at a cliff with a waterfall, "See? There is a waterfall flowing here. By all appearances, it's just an ordinary waterfall. But we've received intelligence that the waterfall may conceal a secret. And that's where you come in. We want you lot to investigate the waterfall and determine what's there. That's all. Do you understand what this mission entails?"

Ian nodded, and Chatot smiled, "Good! All right, I'll leave you all to thoroughly investigate the waterfall!" Then he noticed Martha, "Huh? What's wrong? You're shivering." Martha started to get teary-eyed, and Chatot said, "A-are you all right?"

Martha shakily nodded, "Yep. I'm okay. It's just the anticipation that's making me nervous. This will be our first real job as an exploration team. I'm getting a bit emotional…" She turned to Ian, "Ooh… I'm bubbling over with excitement! Let's do our best, Ian!"

Ian nodded and smiled. Her enthusiasm was a bit contagious. He supposed that he could assist her with her first real exploration mission as a farewell gift.

As he and Martha passed through the upper floor, they were called by Chimecho. "Oh! Ian! And Martha too!"

Martha turned and asked as they walked over to Chimecho, "Oh? What is it, Chimecho?"

Chimecho gestured with her tiny arms at the desk, "I just started an Assembly here. Today, in fact."

Martha tilted her head, "Assembly?"

Chimecho nodded, "Yes! For assembling your team! Have you two ever considered adding members, Martha?"

"Other members?" Martha questioned. "Well, sure! It'd be cool to add other members! If there were more than just the two of us… It sure would help when we explore dungeons!"

"Well then!" Chimecho replied. "You need to start recruiting new members!"

Ian tilted his head, interested now, "How do we start?"

Chimecho smiled and said, "I'll just ring the Friendship Bell for you, Team Rapid! Here goes! Hey-yah!"

Chimecho's body swung back and forth, and a light flashed twice along with a clear bell sound. She smiled, "Now Team Rapid has the power to recruit new members!"

"R-really?!" Martha asked.

Chimecho explained, "Yes! From now on, while battling Pokémon in dungeons… You may earn respect from some of them… and those Pokémon will then ask to join Team Rapid. Once you have recruited a Pokémon, you can bring it along with you on dungeon explorations. To bring a Pokémon along, visit my Assembly, then choose which members should join your team for the exploration. Always see me when you want to assemble a team that includes recruits!"

"Wow!" Martha bowed her head, "Thank you, Chimecho!"

As they passed by the crossroads, the two of them noticed a staircase with a trapdoor at the bottom. There was a sign next to the staircase as well.

"'Spinda's Café,'" Martha read aloud, "'A Shop of Hopes and Dreams, Opening Soon! Win Big!' That's what it says. It seems like there will be a new shop here soon, huh?" She said, turning to Ian. "But 'Hopes and Dreams'? I wonder what kind of shop it is… Let's come back after it opens and find out."

Ian didn't respond. He wasn't going to make any promises.

At the market, they bought extra food to put in storage and a Spurn Orb from the senior Kecleon brother, in case they got cornered by a large group. As they passed by the crossroads, Martha said, "Wait, Ian. This'll be our first exploration; we'll want to record it in our Adventure Log!"

They stopped at the well, and a book with the words "Team Rapid" written on it floated up. There was a feather inside the cover, and it was a really thin book with a few pages written, and a few blank. Despite having floated up from the water, both items were completely dry. Martha explained that the leader – or co-leaders like them and other teams like them – could access the Adventure Log to write in it.

As Ian wrote, he thought. 'Only Martha or I can access this book… I suppose that could be useful to remember.'

After they departed for the waterfall, Martha said, "Ian, is everything all right? You've been acting kind of distant since this morning after the announcement Chatot made… Are you worried about the Time Gears?"

Ian raised an eyebrow. Had he been that obviously worried? He needed to exercise better control of his emotions. But he had no problem smiling and saying, "A little, but I won't let it get in the way of our mission today. It's great that they trust us with this. It's the next step towards your dream!"

That deflection was just what he needed to change Martha's train of thought, causing her to fantasize about possible future explorations. Of course, she was thinking of her and Ian exploring together. Ian knew this, and he didn't say anything. He knew it would be difficult for Martha; she had grown rather attached to him, after all. But this was bigger than both her and him. It was simply what had to be done.

Within a short time of traveling, they arrived at the waterfall that Chatot had told them about. Ian looked at the cascading water. 'Nothing like this back home…' he thought.

Martha seemed to be thinking outloud, "So this is the waterfall that's supposed to have a secret…" She moved a bit closer, and the force of the falling water pushed her back. "Waah! The water's pounding down!"

Ian moved a bit closer. He was a bit curious about how a real waterfall felt. He put his hand forward and held it as close as he could to the water. Tiny streams of stray droplets rained down on his entire arm. Running water. Another foreign sensation. In his short time as an explorer, he'd experienced more than he had in his entire life back in his own time. He tried moving closer to get a more direct feeling, but he pulled his hand back with a shout of surprise as soon as it experienced the full force of the waterfall.

Martha tilted her head, staring at the waterfall, "If you fell under this waterfall, I think you'd get pretty battered up. I didn't think it would be pouring down this hard! Where should we even start look-i-n-g?"

As Ian listened to Martha, her speaking seemed to slow down as he felt the pre-symptoms of his ability. 'Why does this keep happening around this Pokémon? Why do I keep activating the Dimensional Scream?'

The familiar light flashed across his sight and he received a vision.

_'__A shadowy figure was staring at the waterfall, and walked a few steps away from it. Turning around, the figure rushed and jumped straight into the waterfall. The space behind the waterfall was revealed to be hollow, leading into a cave. Rolling to minimize impact, the figure expertly rolled to its feet and looked around before moving deeper into the cave.'_

The light faded, and Ian stared at the waterfall more carefully. 'If what I saw in that vision is correct, which it always is unless the future is changed, then that means that we need to go _through_ the waterfall.'

He told Martha about his vision, and she turned to him and said, "What?! You had another vision and saw a Pokémon leap into the waterfall… and there's a hidden cave behind it?" She looked back at the massive and raging waterfall. "Hmm… But it looks like that water is crashing down really hard. Imagine if there was actually a solid cliff wall behind that waterfall! Yeesh… If we tried to jump through… We'd be pounded badly!"

Ian crossed his arms, "Would it be worse than returning empty-handed for lack of trying?"

"I guess not…" Martha replied hesitantly. "Well… Okay. I'm going to believe you, Ian! Yes! I totally believe in you!"

The two of them walked back and Ian tried to ignore the stab of guilt at the phrase, "I believe in you."

As they turned around to face the waterfall, Martha shook a bit, "Eek!" But then she stopped and shook her head clear, muttering to herself, "Okay, I have to be brave now! If I get scared and fail to leap through at full speed… I'll be crushed no matter what I do! If I'm going for it, it has to be without any hesitation. Be brave… Use all your courage!"

Martha turned to Ian, "Ready! Let's go, Ian!" He nodded, and Martha counted down, "Three… Two… One… Now!"

They both charged forward and leaped straight into the waterfall. They both felt the full force of the cascading water for a split-second before they met air and landed on the cave floor. Neither of them were very graceful with their landing, and had a few scrapes from landing wrong.

Martha groaned in pain for a few seconds, but she stood back up shook the water off before looking around, as did Ian. Martha said, in wonder, "What is this?" She cheered, "Yes! It _is_ a cave! You were right after all, Ian!"

'One would think that she'd realize my visions don't lie.' Ian thought petulantly.

Unaware, Martha's eyes sparkled as she said, "Let's go explore this cave, Ian! Let's see what secrets it holds!"

As they journeyed through, it was another dungeon that had large channels of water through it, meaning that enemies could sneak up on them if they weren't careful. Picking up any items that they found, they were also scanning for potential recruits.

Martha was elated when a Psyduck offered to join their team. His water attacks would cover Ian's weakness to Ground-type Pokémon, and when his psychic powers developed, he'd be able to handle Fighting-type Pokémon too.

"And my special abilities prevent explosions from triggering and keep you all and me safe from getting hurt by stuff like Sandstorm and Hail!" He really seemed to be trying to sell his abilities. **(AN: Damp and Cloud Nine, respectively. Remember, you get both in this Mystery Dungeon game.)**

Martha and Ian agreed to have him on the team and Martha cheerfully gave the Psyduck the nickname, Psymon. **(AN: pronounced, "Simon", for those who don't get it.)**

The instant he was accepted, a light shone on him and a badge formed on his chest. Psymon pumped his fist enthusiastically, "All right! Now let's get going!"

Soon after they recruited Psymon, they hurried along. While it was great that they had a new member, the native Pokémon were proving fairly tough. A Whiscash had knocked Psymon out and used the only Reviver Seed that they had taken with them. And all of the Ground/Water types were taking their toll on Ian. Psymon wasn't strong enough to handle them, and Martha couldn't handle all of them by herself.

With a new recruit, the group decided to focus on finding the stairs as soon as possible each time. Lying low, they passed through the remaining three floors with minimal encounters. As they reached the ninth floor down, they felt a shift in the atmosphere. As if they had gotten out of the mystery dungeon and at the lowest, naturally-formed part.

The three of them looked around, there were sparkling gems practically littering the ground of the chamber. Martha looked around, "Wow! Will you look at that, Ian! Psymon! Look at all the gems sparkling!"

Psymon was looking around and Ian inwardly conceded that they were quite a sight to behold. Martha's attention turned to the back of the room, "Wow, look over there! It's a gigantic gem!" She moved towards it, along with Psymon, and said, "Oh, wow! I've never seen a gem this immense! This is an incredible treasure! Everyone will be amazed if we take this back."

Ian didn't say anything as Martha tried to pry the giant, pink gem out of the ground. He could clearly see that the giant gem was a trigger for a trap. Pokémon, whether from an exploration team or not, would typically go for the large gem, and overlook the small ones. Typical psychological trick, playing off of greed. The reason he didn't say anything is that Martha had to learn that traps come with the territory of being an explorer. This would teach her a lesson in watchfulness.

Martha stood on her hind legs and grunted with effort as she tried to pull the gemstone out with her front paws. She dropped back to the ground, "Nope, it's not budging… It's really stuck tight." She turned to Ian, "Can you give it a try, Ian?"

'We're severely tempting fate here, but fine.' He nodded, but as Martha waited he handed the Treasure Bag to Psymon and said, "Do me a favor and see if you can get any of the small gems out of the ground to put in there."

Psymon saluted, "You got it!"

While Psymon walked over to a small purple gem nearby that seemed less stuck in the ground than the others, Ian walked up to the giant gem and tried pulling it. He decided to put some effort into it; he could be wrong about it being a trap, after all.

He pulled, once, twice, three times, but achieved no more progress than Martha. He panted from the effort and turned to Martha, shaking his head.

Martha said, "So you couldn't move it either, Ian…" Then she grew determined, "But we can't just give up. If we try hard enough, we'll probably get some sort of result!"

'Yeah, a trap triggered.' Ian thought sardonically. Martha said, "I'm going to give it another go, Ian!" As she walked over, there was a slight cracking sound and an "Oof!" sound. Ian turned and saw Psymon flat on his back with the purple gemstone in his hands up in the air.

"I got one!" He shouted triumphantly. Psymon put it in the Treasure Bag and hefted himself up to waddle over to another gem, this one blue.

Martha strained, and grunted, and struggled as she tried to budge the giant gem at least one inch out of the ground. Ian smiled; this was starting to become amusing. His amusement was cut short as his vision dimmed.

'Again?' was the only word he had a chance to think before he saw the light streak across his vision again. While he was watching, he observed the figure's shape more closely, trying to remember where he'd seen it before.

_'__The figure walked into the room full of crystals and looked around. He noticed the giant gem and started trying to pull it out. When that yielded no results, he tried pushing it. The gem moved back with a click and a tremor started rumbling through the cave. The figure looked around hurriedly and noticed something approaching from his right, just in time for him to be washed away by a flash flood.'_

The vision faded just as Martha stopped trying to pull out the gem and was trying to catch her breath. Ian had changed his mind about not telling her. While he could swim – he had learned how just like any other human – and Psymon was a Water-type Pokémon, Ian didn't think Martha could swim.

Just as she started trying to pull again, Ian called, "Martha!"

"Huh? Wah-!" As Martha turned her head, she lost her balance and leaned on the gem for support. Doing so caused the gem to be pushed back with an audible click. Ian froze with his mouth hanging open.

As the trembling started, Martha said, "Huh? What's happening?" Ian looked to the right side of the chamber and already saw the water starting to become choppy. Psymon pocketed a blue gem in the Treasure Bag and said, "I think there's some sort of trap!"

There was the sound of rock shifting, and everybody turned to the direction Ian was looking at, and Martha said, "Wah! It's a flood!"

The three of them tried to run, but were swept away by the rush of water. Ian fought to keep his head above water, and he looked around for Martha, but couldn't see her. He felt great relief when he saw her emerge with Psymon supporting her. The flood kept washing them through the cave until they were forcibly shot out of a geyser.

Psymon was still holding onto Martha keeping her afloat when the three of them found themselves in a Hot Spring. Martha detached herself and stood up in the water, for it was quite shallow. She looked around, "Huh? What…? Where are we?"

One of the Pokémon they had met yesterday, Teddiursa, walked up to them, "Hi, hi! Are you two okay? You plopped down from nowhere! Oh, you startled everyone!"

Ian stood up as well, "Where are we?"

"This is the Hot Spring," Teddiursa replied.

A Torkoal walked up, "Indeed! This is the Hot Spring. The Hot spring works wonders on tired muscles and creaky joints. Many Pokémon visit here. Tell me, youngster, have you a map?"

Ian turned to Psymon, "Psymon," he stood at attention, "It should be in the side pocket on the inside of the bag." Rifling through for a moment, Psymon produced the slightly soggy Wonder Map and unrolled it. Torkoal looked at it and pointed with one of the claws on his front leg, "There. We are here. This is the Hot Spring's location."

Martha nodded, "Oh. Okay." She pointed to the waterfall, "The waterfall's located here, so…"

Psymon whistled, "That underground flood washed us all the way over here!"

Torkoal said, "My goodness! It was the water that carried you all this way? What a long journey that must have been! Let the Hot Spring wash away your fatigue before you make your way home."

Martha nodded, "Good idea. We'll do that. Thanks, everyone!"

As Martha soaked near the edge, and Psymon floated on his back, Ian had his eyes closed and did some reflecting while he sat up to his neck in the water. He had helped Martha with her first exploring mission, and they had "discovered" a dungeon. He was no fool, he knew that the visions he got were of the past, but he decided to keep it quiet so it wouldn't be a damper on Martha's achievement. He couldn't fathom why Wigglytuff would assign them to explore an area he himself had discovered, but Ian mentally shrugged his shoulders. Also, Psymon had helped ensure that they didn't get home empty-handed. The two small gems would be a good achievement for their level as explorers.

He felt the water near him stir, and he opened an eye, thinking that it was Psymon floating by, but it was Martha. She asked, "Are you ready to go, Ian?"

He smiled and said, "Yes, I'm ready."

As they left the Hot Spring and made their way back to Treasure Town, Ian's thoughts darkened. 'I'm sorry, Martha, truly I am. But this is for the best. It would've never been a permanent team, anyway, and there is so much more at stake than just one Pokémon's personal feelings.'

Psymon was excitedly talking about how he'd always hoped that he'd manage to get picked up by an exploration team to go on adventures. Martha responded that she and Ian were glad to have him.

'Tonight… is the last night you'll see me.'

* * *

**I think that this is my longest chapter to date. I won't always write out their day-to-day missions in summary, but since it was only two days' worth of missions and sentry duty, I thought it'd be alright. Let me know, if you want, in a review on what you think about my approach.**


	7. Reunions, Both Good and Bad

**Friendly reminder that I don't own Pokémon. I ****_did_**** write the song "Four Vales" all by myself, though, so I ****_do_**** own that. :)**

* * *

Chapter 7: Reunions, Both Good and Bad

After Team Rapid got back to the guild, Psymon passed on the Treasure Bag to Ian, and waddled off to see Chimecho about living arrangements. Taking the ladder down to the lowest level, Ian and Martha both gave their report to Chatot about what happened, being careful to omit Ian's Dimensional Scream.

Chatot nodded, "Hmm. Let me see if I've got this all straight. Behind the waterfall, there is a cave… In the deepest part of the cave, there was a room full of gems in the ground, two of which you managed to excavate," he pointed at the purple and blue gems set on the ground, "along with a gigantic gem… When you pushed on the gem, it triggered a trap of some kind… And, surprisingly, you were flushed off to the distant Hot Spring? Is that the gist of your report?"

Martha was hanging her head in shame, "Yes. It's awfully disappointing that we couldn't bring the gem back…"

Chatot laughed, "No, no, no! Emphatically, no! This is a major discovery!"

Martha looked up, "R-really?!"

"Undoubtedly!" Chatot affirmed. "After all, the presence of the cave behind the waterfall… No one knew about that before now!"

Martha smiled, "Oh, I see! We made a discovery!"

Ian kept his thoughts on the matter to himself. Why spoil Martha's fun? Chatot continued, "Your waterfall discovery is just amazing! The Guildmaster must be told! Also, treasures discovered are ordinarily shared among the guild, but you can consider the two gems you found as your reward. Think of them as trophies for your first exploration! Nevertheless, I shall expect your best effort tomorrow!"

Martha nodded cheerfully in agreement and Ian just stood there with his usual passive expression.

* * *

That night, after dinner, Martha was simply on top of the world. They had completed their first exploration mission, discovered a new dungeon, and even got to keep the gems they got as souvenirs!

She turned to Ian, who was staring out of the window at the moon up in the sky. "What's wrong, Ian? You look kind of down… We should be happy! Today was a huge step forward for us as an exploration team!" She took out her Relic Fragment and set it on the ground in front of herself. "And I know that I'm getting closer to solving the secret of my Relic Fragment. If _that_ ever happened, I'd surely faint from sheer happiness!"

Martha laughed, and after a brief pause, Ian turned around with a smile, "I'm fine, Martha. Just thinking about what the future will hold for you and me."

Martha tilted her head as she picked up her Relic Fragment and put it away, "You know, I've noticed that you space out a lot. Do you have _that _much to think about all the time? But seriously, thanks…"

At Ian's questioning look, she smiled, "I can explore because of you, Ian. Yep… I'm the biggest chicken around, and even I managed to work up the courage! And it was all because you were with me, Ian. Seriously, Ian, thanks!"

Ian smiled and nodded, but on the inside, he was growing worried. 'This won't be pleasant for her. I need to find Grovyle, but… am I being selfish? I want to let Grovyle know that I'm okay, and I'd like nothing more than to fight by his side again as we collect the Time Gears. But… Martha… Is there a way that I can try helping both ends…?'

At that point, Chatot walked into Ian and Martha's room and said, "Hey, you two! The Guildmaster wants to see you right away."

They followed Chatot to Wigglytuff's chamber and stood at attention while Chatot said, "Guildmaster, I've brought you Team Rapid." There was no response. "Guildmaster… Guildmaster?"

Wigglytuff abruptly turned around, "Hiya! Your team went through a lot today! Yes, a lot-lot! But don't worry! I'm keeping watch on your activities! I should tell you why I called you here. We're planning to mount a full expedition soon!"

Ian raised an eyebrow, and Martha asked, "An expedition?"

Chatot explained, "Yes! The guild will go to explore someplace far away! It's much harder than exploring our nearby area. That's why we need to prepare for the big trip properly. We carefully choose which guild members go on the expedition."

Martha seemed to understand what they were getting at, "Really?!"

Wigglytuff nodded, "Usually, we would never, ever consider rookies to be expedition members. But you two are working so very hard! That's why we're making a special exception this time! We decided to include you in the list of candidates for the expedition!"

Even Ian knew that it was a huge honor, and Martha said in disbelief, "R-really?!"

Chatot waved his wing, "Now, now! You haven't been chosen as expedition members yet. There is still time before we set out on the expedition. If you fail to do good work before then, you cannot expect to be selected for the expedition."

"I'm sure you two can do it!" Wigglytuff cheered. "Try hard!"

Martha nodded, "Yep!" She turned to Ian, "An expedition! Isn't it fantastic, Ian? My pulse is racing all of a sudden! Let's try our best and make sure we get picked for the expedition!"

Seeing Martha's hopeful expression only served to make Ian feel worse. But he forced a brittle smile and nodded, not trusting his voice to hold steady. Thankfully, Martha was too excited to notice Ian's reluctance.

* * *

As everybody went to sleep for the night, Ian stayed awake, as usual. This time, however, he did some thinking instead of just waiting.

'If I just leave in the night, it'll be a huge disgrace. Not just to me, but to Martha and our whole team! Damn it, why do I even _care?!_ I came here fully prepared to sacrifice everything and anything that it took to complete what Grovyle and I set out to do. And now, after barely a _week_, I'm having second thoughts?!'

Cracking an eye open, he looked at Martha, who was already soundly asleep. 'What _is_ it about her? Ever since I met her, I've triggered the Dimensional Scream in, not one, but _four_ instances with objects that have nothing to do with Time Gears… Is there something I'm missing? Maybe…'

Ian's gaze fell to the cloth sack that Martha always carried tied to her side, which contained her Relic Fragment. 'She always carries that… but I've never touched it, only looked at it. She did say she "happened" to find it… Maybe I should take a closer look; see if I can trigger the Dimensional Scream.'

Ian sat up on his bed and padded over quietly to Martha's side. It was no trouble sneaking the Relic Fragment out of the bag. He held it in his hand and once again examined the strange pattern as he waited to see if anything would happen.

'I've never tried to trigger one intentionally… Most of the time they just, well, they happened when they happened.' As he thought that, he felt the dizziness again as his vision dimmed. He felt it stronger than he ever did before. It took all of his balance to not keel over on the spot. Rather than see a light streak across his vision before spreading, a single ball of light manifested in the center of his vision and flared out.

_'__Ian and Martha ran onto a circular platform, in a place that he'd never seen before, that was glowing a myriad of colors and had a ring of light coming out of the ground. As they stepped on it, it levitated off the ground and took off, leaving a rainbow in its wake._

_'__The circular platform had a larger, more elaborate version of the pattern on Martha's Relic Fragment, and they rode the platform all the way to a blue and silver tower in the sky. The tower had a ring of storming red clouds over it.'_

The vision faded and Ian nearly fell over from exhaustion. He was breathing hard and looked at the Relic Fragment in his hand. 'This… why was this pattern on that platform?! And it was at a place I had never seen before, even when researching the past! And… that blue and silver tower! It_had_ to be Temporal Tower! But… Where was Grovyle? He should've been there, not Martha! What happened?!'

He glared at the Relic Fragment, as if that would make it confess the secrets of the vision he'd just seen. Even though his ability allowed him to locate the Time Gears, it had a major drawback when looking to the future. He only knew _what_ would happen and not _how_ it would happen.

'I need to see Grovyle about this. _Now!_'

Ian slipped the Relic Fragment back into Martha's bag and headed over to the Treasure Bag. Unlike his original plan, now he needed a way back into the guild after he found Grovyle. He whispered to the Poké Pocket, "500."

After reaching in, he pulled out a smallish-medium bag of Poké. Once he had it, he quietly emptied out the Poké back into the pocket and loaded an Apple, an Escape Orb and the Wonder Map into the Poké bag. For good measure, he also took an Oran Berry and ate it to put him at peak energy after that vision he had.

Ian repeated the process to get another bag and tore a strip quietly to make something to tie to the bag hang it over his shoulder. Once he was done, he looped the bag over his head, the strap going across his chest and back, so it didn't slide off his tiny shoulders. Throwing the now torn Poké bag, Ian made his way out of the room.

He moved as silently as he could through the halls. 'All right, forget the tunnels, I'm finding the highest window that I can and I'm risking the climb. Let's hope that I can still climb as well as I used to…'

Ian's new, somewhat haphazardly formed plan was comprised of three steps: One, climb around the face of the cliff, to get to the stairs on the other side. Two, find Grovyle and relay the information to him. Three, after step two, find any mystery dungeon and use the Escape Orb to be warped back.

Chatot's warning echoed through his mind. _"You'll be forced out of a dungeon and sent back here if either of you faints."_ 'I just hope he meant "here" literally, as in inside the guild.'

Climbing up to the upper floor, Ian made sure to be extra quiet as he approached the window. He took a deep breath and reached up for the sill, squirming through the crossed bars of wood that made it a window. Keeping his eyes straight ahead and only looking to his right to see where he could find purchase with his hands and feet he went over Grovyle's advice in his mind.

'Remember what Grovyle taught you. The most important thing is to not. Look. Down.'

He saw something up a little higher and went back in the guild to stand on the sill and climb up to stand on one of the bars off wood. From there, Ian reached out and pulled himself up, using the topmost bar of wood as support before making the slight leap to get his feet on the rough patch of rock.

'Okay. I'm making progress. Don't look down. Focus on what you're holding and what you're going to grab next.' Ian looked to his left and saw that the rough patch continued for a bit before it became smooth again. But there was a rocky outcropping about two feet below where this patch ended.

'Damn it! Why do I have to be so short?!' **(AN: Pikachu: 1' 04".)**

Ian tried looking higher. He remembered that the staircase meant that the cliff was narrower as he climbed higher, meaning that he'd have to circumnavigate less distance if he climbed higher.

'Zero distance if I climb up all the way,' he thought flatly as he looked at the fifteen foot distance to the top of the cliff. But, regardless, he spotted that this patch continued upward and led to a rugged part that had many jutting rocks that could provide handholds for him.

Making his way higher, he was determined to get around this cliff one way or another. 'If only I had some balloons, I could probably float my way straight to the top.'

As Ian arrived at the patch of jutting rocks, he made sure to test each one of them with his hand or foot before putting his whole weight on it. Light as he was, he didn't want to risk falling from holding onto a rock that was too loose.

Moving from one rock to the other, he looked on to see that there was a small distance of smooth, sheer rock before the staircase. Moving to a highest, closest rock that Ian could manage to get on, he concentrated his strength into his legs and right hand, and sprung from the rock, reaching for the ledge with his left hand.

Stretching his arm as far as he could, he felt his hand hit the flat surface and gripped as tight as he could, pulling at the same time. He barely held on and swung his weight to get his other arm on the ledge. Ian grappled with the uneven ledge until he managed to pull himself on it.

Panting, he caught his breath as his body's adrenaline died down. 'That was close… All right! Now… Treeshroud Forest is far to the northeast and Limestone Cavern is on the southern peninsula.' He unrolled the Wonder Map and looked at it. The east and south parts of the continent were obscured by clouds, but Ian had enough information to figure out a plan.

'If I head east, I should be able to find Grovyle if I look hard enough. There's one thing that I can try to track his location. I don't know how many days it's been since he took the Time Gear from Treeshroud Forest or how much distance he's covered going south.'

Ian looked at the moon which was somewhat high in the sky, but still in the east. 'If I don't find him before the moon starts setting, I'll have to go back to the guild and try again some other time.' He thought about the perilous climb that he had to undertake to get on the staircase. 'Oh, I hope I find him tonight…'

Running as fast as he could, Ian took the stairs down, no longer needing stealth, and turned left to leave town.

The moon moved across the sky as he ran, and it was all he had to go on in relation to how much time Ian had left. Moving east, he passed by Mt. Bristle before the moon had made much progress. He saw a small wood on his right as well, and looked to see a mountain range in the distance.

Stopping, Ian took out the Wonder Map, unfurling it to look under the moonlight. He was approaching unfamiliar territory now. 'It looks like this mountain range is right between Treeshroud Forest and the southern peninsula… Going through it would slow Grovyle too much for his tastes. If Grovyle took the eastward route, the range would cut him off, and he'd have to make his way through it regardless. It seems I'm in luck!'

Ian took a closer look. The western route around the range passed right by where he was! 'Knowing Grovyle, he'd cut through this little corner of the range here to make his progress around the range to Boulder Quarry, where he can find Limestone Cavern deeper down. I'll want to go further south for good measure before I start calling out for him.'

The plan for drawing Grovyle out once he thought he was in his approximate location was something that only Ian himself knew. That would be sure to make Grovyle investigate.

Heading south, and holding the map in his mouth as he ran, Ian went around the woods that he had seen earlier, following the map by keeping to southwest, so he wouldn't get boxed in by another corner of the range. Once he started reaching the coast and moved along it, he rolled up the map. He had to try here; he was right up against the cloud-obscured portion of the map.

He looked up at the moon. It had just gone past its highest point and begun moving west. 'It's now or never!'

Taking a deep breath, Ian opened his mouth and began to sing a song. The lullaby that he had sung for Grovyle when he was a Treecko. Memories of their time growing up flooded Ian's thoughts as he sung at the top of his voice.

_"__There o-o-nce was a hero, traveling every which way~  
"Trav'ling 'cross four vales for his place to say good-bye~  
"The first vale, dubbed Spring Vale, ev'rybody would sa-a-y~  
"The winds there, so gentle, would kiss you as you went by~_

_"__There o-o-nce was a hero, traveling every which way~  
"He had seen Spring Vale, but it's not his place, you know~  
"The second, called Summer Vale, perfect place to pla-a-y~  
"Green grass, clear water, and the fruit aplenty that grow~_

_"__There o-o-nce was a hero, traveling every which way~  
"Two vales, now traveled, neither were for him, you see~  
"Third vale, the Fall Vale, not many travel that wa-a-y~  
"A vale past its prime, and with leaves falling from the tree~_

_"There o-o-nce was a hero, traveling every which way~  
"He would complete his journey, tha-at he would show~  
"Last vale, named Winter Vale, a visit that all men pa-a-ay~  
"Frosted trees… soft snow… crisp air… and peace for all to know…_

_"__There o-o-nce was a hero, traveling every which way~  
"Found his place… for good-bye… now he rests… That's all… to say~"_

"…I always fell asleep before the final verse and refrain." Ian whipped around and saw Grovyle standing on the ledge above him.

Grovyle was staring at him, "Ordinarily, I'd ask who you were, but there's only one person in the entire world who knows that song…" He jumped down from the ledge and landed in front of Ian.

Once Grovyle looked at him, and Ian got a real look at his best friend, he saw the hope in his eyes. Hesitantly, Grovyle said, "Is that really you…? Tell me your name!"

The Pikachu smiled, and he said, "My name is Nate. And words can't express how happy I am to see you again, Grovyle."

Nate found himself swept up in a hug in an instant. He was surprised, to say the least. 'Just how worried _was_ Grovyle?' Awkwardly, he hugged as much as he could with his short arms. After a short while, he was put down and Grovyle said, "It really _is_ you! I thought… I had thought you didn't survive that blast of lightning during the trip! I tried finding you; where exactly did you wind up?"

Nate unrolled his Wonder Map and pointed near Treasure Town, "I was over here, on the western side of the continent. But, listen, I found out something very important to our mission. I should probably start from the beginning."

For the next few hours, Nate relayed everything that had happened since he'd woken up as a Pikachu on the shore of Treasure Town. He explained about Martha, his lie about having amnesia, and how she would've followed him if he hadn't formed an exploration team. Grovyle nodded, showing that he understood why Ian did what he did.

Omitting most of the unimportant details about the day-to-day missions, he discussed what happened while he was biding his time waiting for a lead to search for Grovyle. When he got to the Dimensional Scream triggering, Grovyle seemed intrigued. "That's never happened before… Perhaps it's something to do with being in the past… Nevertheless, continue."

As he got to the vision he got from Martha's Relic Fragment, Grovyle seemed shocked, his eyes wide in surprise. "A place you had never seen before… And the tower… That place must have been the Hidden Land! You said the pattern on her stone was the same as the one on the platform you two rode?"

Nate nodded, "It was more complex, but it's pretty easily recognizable once you see it."

Grovyle crossed his arms and thought. At length, he said, "Nate, while it tears me apart to say this, I believe that you should go back to this guild that you mentioned." He held up his hand as Nate started to protest, "I saw the Escape Orb. You had every intention of going back, and I can see why. If this Martha is supposed to be with you when we get to the Hidden Land, so be it. But for that, you need to stay by her side." Grovyle smiled, "I am glad to see that you are fine, regardless of your form."

But then his smile fell, "Besides… I've had a bad feeling lately… I have a feeling that if we stay together, we'll both get captured. I don't know how the accident caused this, but you have a disguise and an alias; use them. Try to find out how the Relic Fragment is tied to the Hidden Land."

Grovyle gestured over his shoulder, "There's a mystery dungeon known as Tiny Meadow that way. Use your Escape Orb to return." When he looked back at Nate, Grovyle had a completely serious look on his face, "Also, Nate, do both yourself and her a favor and try not to let her get too attached to you or you to her. For both your sakes, it's best that it doesn't happen. You _know_ what will have to happen at the end."

Nate knew perfectly well what Grovyle was referring to, and he nodded.

* * *

All was quiet inside the guild. On the upper underground floor, there wasn't anything to see. But, among the quiet, a blue circle of light formed on the ground in front of the Job Bulletin Board. Suddenly, Nate was warped straight on top of it.

He took a quick look around and let out a quiet sigh of relief. He still had a few hours before sunrise, and he'd gone with less sleep before. It would be a tired day tomorrow, but he'd get through it.

As Nate went down the ladder and back to his and Martha's room, he thought about the new objective of his mission. Grovyle would gather the Time Gears, and Nate's job would be to research the Hidden Land and the Relic Fragment's connection to it. By extension, he was also supposed to help Martha along, since for some reason, she was supposed to go to the Hidden Land too.

Nate would be lying if he said that he didn't find his new arrangement a lucky situation. He was working to complete the mission, and he wouldn't have to leave Martha at such a crucial time. He remembered Grovyle's words, _"do both yourself and her a favor and try not to let her get too attached to you or you to her. For both your sakes, it's best that it doesn't happen."_

'Too late,' Nate thought ruefully. Even a blind Pokémon could see that Martha thought the world of "Ian". 'Perhaps… before Grovyle and I leave for the Hidden Land, a dose of the truth would make her think less of me. I _have_ been lying to everyone, after all, not even to mention being associated with a "criminal" like Grovyle. And the future can be changed. I don't want Martha to be there.'

Nate's thoughts darkened. 'The Relic Fragment… That'll be the hardest thing. Martha hardly ever puts it down. I need her to willingly use it, and for that she'll need to know what it's for. She's naïve, but she's not stupid, she wouldn't just loan it to me without me telling her the reason why. And the instant I told her the reason why, she'd insist that she come along to help.'

As Nate arrived at his room, Martha was still asleep. He quietly put the Apple back in the Treasure Bag and put the empty Poké bag back in its pocket. After discarding the torn strap out the window, he laid back on his bed.

'Tomorrow, I'm Ian again. But I also have a mission as Nate.'

* * *

The next day, Nate at first turned away from the rising sun as he was roused out of his sleep. But when his half-conscious mind realized the time, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up. Picking himself up, he walked over to Martha and shook her awake. This time she actually woke up, but in retrospect, he had shaken her rather roughly.

When Martha took a look at him, she said, "Um… Ian? You don't look so good. Did you have trouble sleeping?"

"Ian" thought back to last night, and the vision he had, "Yes. I had a nightmare. But I'll be fine. Come on; let's get to the morning address."

That day, Chatot made the announcement about the plans for the expedition.

"Ahem! As I was explaining… there is a lake far to the east. There are many aspects of that lake that remain mysterious. We hope to unravel those mysteries. And so, our guild is planning to mount an expedition for the first time in a while."

Everybody was eager about the expedition and the chance to go along. Loudred spoke up, "But… That means you're going to be picking members for the expedition from ALL of us again, right?"

"Precisely!" Chatot replied. "We will depart in several days. Over these next few days, we will choose the most worthy apprentices. The chosen members will form the expedition party. Everyone, work hard so that you may be chosen for the expedition!"

"Oh my gosh! This is so exciting!" Sunflora cheered.

Bidoof added, "Yup yup! I've yet to go on an expedition. I would surely love to go this time!"

"Let's work at it and get picked as members!" Loudred shouted.

Chatot called out, "All right, everyone. It's back to work as usual."

"HOORAY!"

Everyone dispersed, and Chatot turned to Nate and Martha, "Ah, you two. Today, I want you two to check the Job Bulletin Board and the Outlaw Notice Board and handle their listed jobs. That will do for now."

Nodding, they went up the ladder and Martha said, "Let's try to do as many jobs as we can. Then we'll have that much better a chance for getting picked!"

Nate nodded as he turned towards the Job Bulletin Board, "Let's go check now…" He trailed off as he spotted a familiar pair in front of the Job Bulletin Board. He rubbed his forehead in exasperation. 'Great, just great. It's far too early to have to deal with these clowns…'

Martha turned where Nate was looking after noticing the sour expression on his face, "What are you looking at? Wait, those Pokémon… Haven't we seen them before?" The two that Martha and Ian were looking at were Koffing and Zubat.

At the sound of Martha's voice, Zubat turned their way and said, "Hey!" The shout caught Koffing's attention and he noticed them too, shouting, "You two?!"

Martha thought for a moment and said angrily, "Ah! I remember you two! You're the thugs that tried to swipe my Relic Fragment! What are _you_ doing here?!"

Koffing regained his composure and said, "Whoa-ho-ho! I'll have you know that we're an exploration team too."

"Heh-heh-heh. What's so funny about an exploration team checking out the Job Bulletin Board?" Zubat added.

Nate raised an eyebrow as Martha looked shocked, and he said, "If you're an exploration team, then where are your badges?"

Koffing smirked, "Well, the way we operate isn't always… by the book." Then he turned to Martha, "But what a surprise! Why would _you _be here?"

Martha spoke hesitantly, "We wanted to become exploration team members. That's why we're training here at this guild."

Koffing shouted, "What?!" and Zubat said, "You want to become a real-deal exploration team member?!"

The two of them looked each other and moved towards Martha, Koffing saying, "Come with us for a second." They stopped moving forward when Nate glared and his cheeks sparked. Koffing said, "Whoa-ho-ho! Ready to start a fight for no reason? We just wanna have a word with your partner."

Nate didn't like it, but there was nothing that he could do unless they started the fight first. Koffing and Zubat ferried Martha to the far side of the room and began talking with her.

"Now don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way," Koffing said. "You should just forget about being on an exploration team!"

"What?! Why?!" Martha shouted back.

"Well, you're timid," Zubat said. "You scare easy. A scaredy-cat like you can't cut it on an exploration team."

Martha moved back towards Nate, "It's true that I'm timid…" She turned back to them with a determined expression, "But that's why I'm in training! So I can overcome my own shortcomings! Even now, I'm working hard to get picked for the guild's expedition!"

While it was great that Martha was standing up for herself, Nate wished that she hadn't revealed that little detail when Koffing said with interest, "Oh? An expedition, you say?"

Zubat snickered, "Heh-heh. Well, effort only gets you so far. You won't get picked for the expedition party if you don't have talent, right? It all comes down to talent… pure talent!"

Martha snapped, "B-big talk! You sure talk a lot about talent, but what kind of skills do you have? You're so weak, you even lost to us!"

'What kind of insult is that? You just insulted us along with them,' Ian thought.

Koffing smirked, "Whoa-ho-ho! Well, we didn't have the Chief with us."

Martha was suddenly unsure, "Ch-chief?"

"Heh-heh. That's right," Zubat said.

"Team Skull, our exploration team, has three members." Koffing added.

Zubat grinned, "Our chief is incredibly talented."

Koffing had the same grin, "To put it bluntly, he's brutally tough."

"Heh-heh. If the Chief were around, we'd snap you like a twig." Both of them seemed to perk up and Koffing said, "Whoa-ho-ho! Speaking of the Chief, I can smell him coming now!"

"Smell?" Martha questioned.

"Here's the Chief!" Zubat said.

Nate and Martha turned as a Skuntank climbed down the ladder. Nate was in his path, and the Skuntank said, "Move! Out of the way!" Before Nate could say or do anything, he was sprayed by a foul-smelling gas, making him paralyzed from the stench.

Martha started to run over, shouting, "Oh, Ian!" But she was forced to stop as she approached the cloud of foul-smelling gas. "Ew! What is this awful stench?"

Everybody on that floor of the guild started shouting in surprise and disgust as the gas spread across the room. Everybody's attention was now on their side of the room. As Skuntank moved towards Koffing and Zubat, Martha was in his path. He said, "Move it! Or do you want to end up like that wimp over there?!"

Martha shook in fear and stepped aside. Skuntank moved towards his team and they praised him for showing up Team Rapid. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," Skuntank said. "So, you two, did you sniff out any jobs that'll bring in the cash?"

Koffing shook his head, "The Job Bulletin Board only posted cheap tasks, but…"

"There's something else, Chief. It's got the potential to go big…" Zubat continued.

Zubat fluttered closer and whispered something in Skuntank's ear. Skuntank grinned, "What? An expedition from the guild? That does sound tasty."

Koffing grinned, "Doesn't it?"

Skuntank gestured up the ladder with his head, "Let's get out of here. We need to do some plotting. Come on. We're going."

Both Koffing and Zubat cheered, "Yeah!"

As the trio left, Skuntank went up the ladder and Koffing said to the apprentices staring, "What are you all staring at? This isn't a public performance!" Everybody nervously turned back to what they were doing before.

As Koffing floated up, Zubat turned to Martha and Ian, who was still paralyzed, and said, "Heh-heh, see you around, wimps."

After they were gone, Martha ran over to Ian, "Are you okay, Ian?!"

Nate rubbed his head. His sinuses were still burning from the horrid smell that had been sprayed at him. He stood back up and joked, "That's an unpleasant way to be fully woken up, but I'm fine."

Martha sighed in relief, "That's great!" But then she seemed to get sad, "That goon was rough, though. I couldn't work up the courage to challenge him to his face! Even though he knocked you out, Ian… I let you down… They're right… I am a wimp… A big chicken."

"Now, hold on a second," Nate said. "If you _had_ stood up to him, you would've just gotten sprayed too. But that doesn't make you weak for standing down. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor."

Martha sniffled, "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Ian… But… But I really am a wimp…" She shook her head, "But it's nothing new for me… I've decided that I can still do my best even if I'm not very brave. I'm not giving up over something like this." Standing up straight again, Martha smiled, "I'm going to be cheerful and keep trying. Thank you, Ian! For now, we'd better keep working like we've been doing. Today we're supposed to handle the jobs on the Job Bulletin Board and Outlaw Notice Board. Let's keep at it, Ian!"

Nate nodded, glad that Martha wasn't going to let Team Skull get her down, and they moved to look at today's job posts.


	8. Like a Game of Chess

Chapter 8: Like a Game of Chess

Nate, Martha and Psymon walked out of the newly re-opened Marowak Dojo. It had been at "Ian's" insistence that they spend some time training that day. Because when a whole team struggles against your garden-variety Wooper, it's time to start doing some extra training.

Nate thought back to earlier that morning, as they had passed by the crossroads. After that… spectacle called advertising from Spinda and company for their café, Chimecho had recommended that they have their recruits (i.e. Psymon) meet up with them there instead of at the path leading out of town. Martha happily agreed, and it made no difference to Nate.

After meeting up with Psymon at one of the tables, they started planning the day's activities. They had four missions for Mt. Bristle and four for the Waterfall Cave. They decided to do the missions from Mt. Bristle first, that way, they could possibly find more missions to Waterfall Cave tomorrow.

On the way to Kecleon Market and Kangaskhan Storage, Nate had noticed the Marowak Dojo further south, and said that he wanted to check if it was open. It was, and the Dojo's sensei, Marowak, never looked happier to see a group of Pokémon in his entire life.

Marowak explained how the dojo worked – that they lose all items when entering, but not when exiting – along with the time conversion that allowed exploration teams to train for long hours without losing much time to do missions. After the explanation he offered to let Team Rapid train for free in his dojo as much as they wanted. This sounded great to Nate, and he suggested that they spend a few hours training in one of the mazes.

Martha said, "It's fine, we can pull through anything as long as we do it together!"

Nate crossed his arms, "Need I remind you how we had to sneak by most enemies on our last mission?"

"Gonna have to side with Ian on this one," Psymon added. "I could stand to be a little stronger."

They picked out the Normal/Flying Maze and started training after Martha dropped off all of their items at Kangaskhan Storage**. **From training in there, Nate learned Quick Attack, Martha learned Growl, and Psymon learned Disable.

Deciding that they had trained enough for the day, the three of them restocked their items and set out for Mt. Bristle.

* * *

On the third floor of Mt. Bristle, Team Rapid had been sweeping aside the enemies with relatively little effort, thanks to their training. As the three of them were prepared to move on, a voice called out to them, "Wait!"

Turning around, a Starly was flying towards them; from the sound of her voice, a female. She landed in front of them and caught her breath. "I was watching from far away after you defeated me. I'm glad I caught up before you moved to the next part of the dungeon. I want to join your team!"

Nate recalled this Starly from a few rooms ago. She got paralyzed by his Static after attacking him and he finished her with Thunder Shock. If he gave her anything it would be that she has guts, attacking an Electric-type.

Martha nodded, "Sure, why not? Your nickname will be… Maribel." The badge appeared on Maribel and she smiled. With a full team of four, Team Rapid moved on to do the remainder of their missions. Along the way, just from being with them a little bit, Maribel learned Wing Attack.

* * *

Team Rapid returned that day with their day's work done and another new recruit to boot. With the missions completed, they were promoted to Bronze Rank, much to Martha's elation.

To celebrate, they went to Spinda Café. It was free, as long as you provided your own ingredients. And with how many fruits, berries and gummis are found on your typical exploration, it was pretty much totally free.

As Maribel told the other team members about herself, Nate thought back to the run-in with Team Skull that morning. 'We'll definitely see them later. No doubt about that.' Sipping his Yellow Gummi soda, he decided to start planning ahead for what they might do. 'They seemed really interested in the expedition… I guess I'll have to wait and see the first move they make.'

"So why did you want to join our team, Maribel?" Martha asked, drawing Nate's attention back to the conversation.

"I guess you could say that joining exploration teams is a sort of tradition for my family," Maribel replied. "They came to visit me every so often. My brothers, sisters, parents and grandparents were all exploration team members. I was the only one still at Mt. Bristle; I was waiting for the right team, you see. Then I saw you three. I'm not sure why, but my instinct says that you'll go places, and I always trust my instinct."

Psymon nodded, "I joined to go on adventures! Psyduck have always been seen as slow and dimwitted, and I want to be an example to prove otherwise!"

"I started this exploration team with Ian to realize my dream of solving the mystery of my Relic Fragment," Martha added. Nate silently mused, 'Well, mystery solved. Not that I can tell you that yet.' "What about you, Ian?"

The question caught him off guard for a bit, with Nate having to remember that he's also Ian, and he said, "Excuse me?"

"Why do you think you're here on this team?" Martha asked.

'Because I could plainly see you wouldn't take no for an answer. But I can't say that.' Nate thought about it for a second, and gave his answer. "I think I'm here to help other Pokémon in trouble."

The others nodded and he didn't supply any further insight. Thankfully, they didn't pry. The reason he gave is the same reason that he came back to the past. To help the Pokémon of this world. To make sure that they never experience the future that he'd grown up in.

The rest of the evening passed by rather uneventfully, Psymon and Maribel went back to the guild's temporary residence for recruits – temporary until they each find a place for themselves – and Nate and Martha went back to the guild, had dinner and everybody went to sleep for the night. Nate had decided to catch up on sleep from the night he had spent searching for Grovyle.

* * *

The next day had come and gone without incident. Unfortunately, Nate and Martha were unable to get their missions to Waterfall Cave done that day, because they had to cover Diglett's sentry duty again. They spent the entire day doing that, and were rewarded for another perfect job done. The rest of the evening passed by, and they went to sleep after dinner.

But having a day where nothing had happened just made Nate even more suspicious about what Team Skull was planning. Unfortunately, he got his answer in an announcement from Chatot the day after.

"Everyone! I have an announcement before we get down to work," Chatot called out. "Let me introduce our new allies."

The other apprentices conversed among themselves, Loudred saying, "Allies? What, more new apprentices?"

"Golly, I wonder what kinds of Pokémon they are." Bidoof added.

Chatot called towards the ladder, "Hey! Over here, please."

At that point, a cloud of gas floated down the ladder, and all of the apprentices were disgusted by it. Nate merely plugged his nose and glared at the ladder as Team Skull descended it. Skuntank had a Treasure Bag, and all three of them had their badges. They wore semi-amiable expressions, and all-in-all looked more like an official exploration team.

Martha yelled, "It-it's them!"

Chatot continued, both him and Wigglytuff seeming unbothered by the smell, "These three are our new partners."

"Whoa-ho-ho! I'm Koffing," he greeted.

"Heh-heh-heh! Zubat here," Zubat said with a smile and slight bow of his head. "Glad to meet you."

Skuntank just said, "And I'm Team Skull's leader. I'm Skuntank. Remember it." He smirked at Nate and Martha, "Especially you two. Chaw-haw-haw!"

Chatot looked between Team Skull, and Nate and Martha. Nate had his passive expression back on, and Martha had a mix of incredulity and anger on her face. "What, you're already acquainted? That simplifies things."

'Making a lot of assumptions here, Chatot,' Nate thought sardonically. But he knew better than to cause a scene, so he held his tongue and glanced at Martha, mouthing, "Stay calm." Martha looked extremely unhappy with it, but she nodded, clenching her jaw.

Chatot didn't see the interaction as he addressed the entirety of the apprentices, "These three aren't joining us as apprentices. They will be joining our expedition to lend us their assistance."

"I beg your pardon?!" Martha couldn't hold it in anymore after hearing that. Chatot turned to her, "Why are you so shocked?"

Skuntank said, "Chatot, sir, it's nothing. That one always overreacts to every little thing. Chaw-haw-haw."

Chatot looked between the Skuntank and Martha, "Hm. Very well, then." Addressing the whole group again, he said, "Anyway, the Guildmaster has made his decision. He has decided that having this trio take part will make us stronger on the expedition. However, it would be impossible to coordinate teamwork if we were to begin working together right away. Therefore, we've decided that the trio should live with us for several days. Though it will only be for a short while, I ask everyone to treat our guests with hospitality."

The apprentices started whispering amongst themselves. Loudred said, "…Doesn't Chatot think something stinks about this? Literally?"

"…Eww. How can the Guildmaster stand this?" Sunflora wondered.

Bidoof added, "I sure hope this expedition ends soon! Yup yup!"

Oblivious to the apprentices' discontent, Chatot said, "All right everyone. Let's get down to work."

Nate didn't even bother with the cheer, and everybody else gave a half-hearted cheer.

"…Hooray."

Chatot tilted his head, "What's this? Where's your usual spirit?"

Loudred shouted, "You gotta be KIDDING! This STINKS! How do you expect us to be cheerful when-" Whatever Loudred was going to say next was cut off by a tremor. "WH-WHAT?"

Nate looked around and saw Wigglytuff seeming to be unhappy, "YOOM… YOOOOOOM…" With every sound Wigglytuff made, the tremors seemed to get stronger. 'Is _he _causing this?!' Loudred's warning on their first day flashed across his mind.

_"Between you and me, Wigglytuff's got a BIG temper. My advice: do NOT make him lose it."_

"No!" Chatot shouted, "The Guildmaster… His rage is building! If the Guildmaster gets angry, it will be horrific! Everyone! Come on! Be cheerful, even if it hurts!" Doing his best to keep his voice casual with the tremors, he said, "All right, everyone. Let's get down to today's work."

Slightly afraid, everyone said as cheerfully as they could, "HOORAY!"

The tremors stopped, and Wigglytuff had his usual happy-go-lucky expression on his face. Everyone, slightly nervous, shuffled away to their posts. Team Skull lingered behind, and Skuntank said to Chatot, "Chaw-haw-haw! Glad to have met you." Each of them gave their own unique laughs as they left to go to the upper level.

Nate and Martha were the last ones to leave, and Martha whispered, "Something's definitely suspicious about them for sure."

Nate said, "_Really?_ Thank you for pointing that out. I _never_ would've noticed."

Martha whispered angrily, "Is this really the time for verbal jabs? I don't know what they're scheming… But let's be careful, Ian."

Before Nate could further comment, Chatot turned to them and said, "Ah, you two. Take care of the jobs on the boards today, okay? We're counting on you."

They nodded, and started moving up the ladder. Martha started speaking, "So, what were you going to-"

"Shh…" Nate held a finger to his lips and mouthed, "Later." And then they moved up to the upper floor. The apprentices and Team Skull were each on different ends of the room. He looked at Martha, and she nodded in understanding. The two of them casually checked the mission boards and picked out another mission for Waterfall Cave off of the Outlaw Notice Board, and then went up the exit ladder.

After they were outside of the guild, Martha said, "All right, I can understand why you didn't want to risk talking in front of Team Skull, but what were you going to say earlier?"

As they moved down the stairs towards the crossroads, Nate said, "Whatever Team Skull's planning runs deeper than the expedition. They'll do everything and anything that they can to make us look bad. Their plan was already afoot when Skuntank undermined our credibility by saying that you overreact to everything."

Martha was shocked, "Well, what are we supposed to do about it, Ian?"

"Nothing, now," Nate replied. "You just let me worry about this game they're playing. We have our missions, and a new recruit to train in our team-fighting style. On that note, we'll need to go to Marowak Dojo today."

Martha nodded, but she still seemed concerned. As they arrived at the crossroads and turned towards Spinda Café to meet with their recruits, Nate said, "Listen, I'm not going to let them slander our team's name. I'll do everything I can to protect it."

Martha smiled, and Nate was inwardly surprised at how much he meant that. Regardless, he started planning for what he was going to do to counter Team Skull's deception and efforts to undermine their credibility. Tuning out Martha's explanation to the recruits about today's plans, he thought, 'I'd need definitive proof of their true nature. But they wouldn't be dumb enough to try something during the day. But at night…' He nodded, 'I've spent enough time catching up on sleep; time to resume my staking-out.'

At that time, Martha finished explaining the plans for that day, and the entire team stood up to go to Marowak Dojo.

Marowak welcomed them back and noticed that they had another team member. He nodded in approval, "A team must continually expand the different types of Pokémon they recruit, or else the wrong type of Pokémon encountered could spell trouble. I would recommend you next seek out a Grass-type, for fighting Water/Ground Pokémon. Without one, that could be a weakness for your current team."

Nate thought back to their time in Waterfall Cave before, "We've noticed. That's why we're training." Marowak nodded again and they went into the maze. From the time spent in there, Nate learned Double Team, Psymon learned Confusion, and Maribel learned both Double Team and Endeavor.

Satisfied with their current level of strength, after picking up their supplies, Team Rapid set out for the Waterfall Cave to do their missions.

Once they arrived, Nate and Martha told Maribel about jumping through the waterfall. Psymon had already known about it since he lived there until recently. The team jumped through, and went into the cave after giving Maribel's wings some time to dry.

On the fourth floor, they encountered the Corsola outlaw that they were to arrest. Nate's electricity took care of her in short order. Psymon took her wanted poster from the Treasure Bag and handled the transporting process. On the next two floors, they located the items they had to find for their clients, a Sleep Seed and a Scanner Orb – thankfully, Martha was able to easily identify them – and moved on.

The Nidorina outlaw proved tricky, but Psymon's newly developed psychic powers assisted greatly. He was poisoned at one point, but he used a Pecha Berry to heal it after the outlaw was subdued.

The last outlaw, a thief Surskit, wasn't interested in fighting and just bolted after he spotted them. Unfortunately for him, both Nate and Maribel were able to easily keep pace and hit him with Quick Attacks. Thankfully, the thief didn't have a chance to get to a body of water before he was defeated. Martha and Psymon weren't happy about getting left in the dust in the process of catching the outlaw, but they got the stolen Max Elixir back.

* * *

After the completion of their missions, Nate and Martha returned to the guild. With the missions that they had done, Team Rapid was promoted to Silver Rank, which they were proud of. Dinner was served shortly after. Nate and Martha weren't happy about having to sit next to Team Skull, but they just tried to focus on their food and ignore them.

After everyone headed for their rooms for the night, Team Skull was still awake.

Zubat said, "We just had dinner, but I could go for some more food."

"My belly'll never get filled on grub like that," Koffing agreed.

"All right," Skuntank said. "The guild members have all gone off to bed… Let's go find it now."

"Huh? Find what?" Zubat asked.

Skuntank snorted, "What else? The guild's food stock. We'll find their food and give ourselves a proper feast."

Koffing grinned, "I like that thinking, Chief!"

"Okay, let's get to it!" Zubat said.

As Team Skull left their room and started moving across the guild towards the dining hall under the cover of darkness, they didn't realize that they were being watched. After they passed by, Nate poked his head out from behind Croagunk's booth and smirked. 'Not even a day in the guild, and already up to no good? You're making this too easy.'

* * *

"Chatot!"

At the call of his name, Chatot was roused out of his sleep and he flew down the ladder where he heard the call. "What is-?!" He noticed it was Nate. "You again?! What are you doing awake?" He lowered his tone when he noticed the scared look on his face.

Nate shook a bit, "I-I heard a noise coming from the mess hall! I think s-something might've gotten into the food storage, but I'm scared to investigate by myself…"

Chatot nodded, understanding, "Very well. I'll deal with this. You go back to sleep." Nate nodded, still looking scared, and they went down to the lowest floor of the guild before parting ways, Nate turning left, and Chatot turning right, where the sounds of noisy eating were coming from.

Unknown to Chatot, Nate was smirking as he walked back to his room. 'I'll admit that it's easy to fool the Pokémon around here, Skuntank, but now watch it be turned against you.'

Chatot made his way towards the dining hall. 'Whatever this is might _think _they can use the cover of darkness, but they won't escape my sight!' As soon as he was in the room, he used Flash. A ball of light formed at the top of the music note-shaped crest on his head and then it spread its light, illuminating the whole room. His eyes widened as he saw several of the food barrels empty and Team Skull standing in the middle of them with a half-eaten fruit left between them. The sudden light had stunned them momentarily, but when they saw who had walked in, the three of them started sweating.

Koffing could only say, "Uh…"

"We were still… hungry?" Zubat offered weakly.

Skuntank whispered angrily to them, "Shut your traps and let _me_ do the talking!" He turned to Chatot, "Sir, this is a misunder-"

In the time it had taken him to start speaking, the shock had worn off and Chatot's eyes had drifted to the half-eaten fruit between the trio. His eyes widened even further than before, "IS THAT ONE OF THE GUILDMASTER'S PERFECT APPLES?!"

Chatot flew forward and checked the food stock for at least one Perfect Apple, but he found none. He turned his full fury on Team Skull, who had been trying to sneak away while he was occupied. "DO YOU HAVE _ANY_ IDEA WHAT YOU'VE _DONE_?! Those Perfect Apples are _only_ for the Guildmaster, no one else! Back to your room; get out of my sight! Tomorrow, you three go without dinner!"

Skuntank didn't even have time to say anything as he and the rest of his team were chased out of the mess hall by a furious Chatot.

* * *

After the morning briefing, Chatot called out to Nate and Martha. His tone was a bit harsher than he meant, and Martha tilted her head, "Is something wrong, Chatot?"

He shook his head, "Oh, nothing. I'm just a little bit absolutely _livid_ with our three guests. Because of them, our food stock has dropped sharply." Martha was surprised, and Nate said, feigning surprise, "It was them who I heard last night?"

Chatot nodded, "Yes, and thank you, Ian, for reporting to me about it." He took a deep breath and shook his head, "But more importantly, those gluttons ate every last one of the Perfect Apples we had. Your assignment today is to go get more to replenish our stock."

"Perfect Apples? What are those?" Martha questioned.

"They're very big and very delicious Apples. But more than that, they are the Guildmaster's favorite food! If there were no Perfect Apples, the Guildmaster would, um…" Chatot suddenly got very dodgy and started cringing, as if remembering a bad memory, "The Guildmaster w-w-would… erk!"

Martha said, "Go on. If there were no Perfect Apples, what would happen to Wigglytuff?"

Nate didn't have to hear what would happen; he had seen enough of Wigglytuff's emotional expressions. 'If he causes an earthquake just from his apprentices not being cheery, I don't think I want to know what would happen if he doesn't get his favorite food.'

"The G-Guildmaster would…" Chatot paused for a while. "…Yes, that's what would happen. That's why I'm begging you two to get some Perfect Apples. Ordinarily, I'd force Team Skull to do it, but I fear they might simply eat them on the way back."

"Uh, what did he just say?!" Martha whispered to Nate. "I didn't hear! It'll really bug me, not knowing! But, oh well." She said to Chatot with a smile, "Sure, we'll go get some. You can count on us!"

Chatot smiled for the first time that morning, "Good! Perfect Apples can be found deep in Apple Woods." Then he got serious again, "Now, listen, this may seem like a simple errand, but it's a crucial job. After all, this is about the Guildmaster's… erk!" Chatot cringed, but then he pulled himself together again, "So please don't fail!"

Martha nodded, "Okay!" She turned to Nate, "Let's keep doing our best, Ian!"

The two of them started going up the ladder to get ready for an exploration. Team Skull watched them, and Koffing said, "Whoa-ho-ho! So it was the Pikachu that ratted us out."

"Heh-heh-heh! Let's mess with them!" Zubat suggested.

"Good idea," Skuntank said. "We'll show them not to cross us! Chaw-haw-haw!"

* * *

Nate was humming a happy tune with a huge grin on his face as he and Martha walked to Kecleon Market and Kangaskhan Storage.

Martha said, "You're awfully cheery. Are you _that_ glad that Team Skull got punished?"

Nate gave her a sideways glance, "Are you saying you're _not_?"

She gave it some thought, and then replied cheerfully, "Nope!"

After they packed up for their exploration, they picked up Psymon and Maribel, and then set out. Nate checked the Wonder Map after Psymon passed it to him, and remembered the woods that he had seen when he had been searching for Grovyle.

He passed the map back to Psymon and said, "We just follow the river north of town and it's a straight shot east after Waterfall Cave."

As they made their way there, Psymon handed out everyone's items to equip. "Okay, that's the Pecha Scarf for Ian, Blue Bow for Martha, Power Band for Maribel and a Zinc Band for me."

After they arrived and found a clearing surrounded by trees with Apples growing, Martha said, "This must be the entrance to Apple Woods. According to Chatot's story, we need to get to the deepest part of the woods. That's where the Perfect Apples should be. Let's get this done right!"

They ventured into the woods, and the terrain changed around them, the trees knitting together into wooden and leaved walls, and forming into rooms and corridors. Psymon kept track of where they were on the map, since he didn't have to physically attack most of the time. He had his Water Gun and Confusion moves to attack from a distance, and could use Disable with a glance to paralyze an opponent that got too close, so he could afford to have his hands hold the map.

Maribel was a huge help with her Wing Attack in clearing out the Bug and Grass-type Pokémon. With the four of them working together, they managed to make their way through the forest with relative ease.

As they made their way to the sixth floor barely breaking a sweat, Nate said to Martha with a smirk, "Told you it was a good idea to train at the dojo." Martha stuck her tongue out in response.

After they cleared out another group of enemies, a lone Combee approached them. Nate got his electricity charged, but the Combee said, "Halt; stay thy actions! We come in peace!" Nate stopped; whether from the speech pattern or the Pokémon not meaning any harm, he couldn't tell.

The Combee looked relieved that Team Rapid was willing to hear them out. "We have heard of exploration teams such as thee. And we have seen more than ample demonstration of thy might. We are a female Combee, and we long to one day evolve into a mighty Vespiquen, but… The Pokémon hither provide challenge no more, and we grow no stronger from them. Would that we could travel with thee, and one day evolve, we would be in your debt always."

Maribel said, "Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but my family – I come from a line of exploration team members – has kept me posted, and Luminous Spring has lost its light for some time now, due to the recent problems with time. No Pokémon can evolve right now."

Martha asked, "Luminous Spring…?" But Psymon shook his head and pointed to Combee's flabbergasted expression.

Combee said, in shock, "Then… We are stuck in this body?! No matter how strong we may grow?! Art thou certain that such is the case?! But… we hath seen Butterfree, Beedrill and Gloom in this very wood!"

Nate spoke up, "While it's true that Luminous Spring assists Pokémon with the final jump to evolve, there are times where a Pokémon that has low requirements and/or enough determination can evolve without its assistance." Then, pretending to be confused, he blinked and said, "Wait, how do I know that…?" He had read about Luminous Spring in his studies about the past, and even without it he had seen physical proof that such was the case with his own eyes.

Combee seemed to have hope again, "Then one day, we might… We shall see. Formally, may we join thy exploration team?"

Team Rapid huddled up and Nate raised his hand, "I for one think we should, if Luminous Spring regains its light one day." He was only saying this because he knew that he'd restore its light, along with restoring time. He had to. All the better if Martha had a powerful new team member when he did.

"This Combee would make a great ally it it did!" Psymon said with a nod.

"I don't know," Maribel said. "Combee aren't known to be all that powerful. That's why they're usually governed and protected by a Vespiquen."

"We're all about bringing out the potential in our team!" Martha retorted. "Besides, we don't have a Bug-type, and who says we can't recruit another Pokémon while we're looking for a Grass-type?"

Maribel thought about it and then agreed. The four of them turned to Combee, and Martha said, "We'd be glad to have you on our team! Your nickname will be…"

"If we may interject," Combee said, "We already have a nickname in mind. Might we suggest it?"

Martha nodded, "Sure, let's hear it."

"We would like our nickname to be Regina," she said with all three faces smiling.

Martha nodded, "Sounds good to me. Anybody disagree?" After three negative headshakes, Martha said, "Welcome to the team, Regina!" A badge appeared on the red marking on the lowest face's forehead.

Nate said, "Unfortunately, we're on a very sensitive mission right now, so we'll have to send you back to the guild until we get back."

"We understand," Regina nodded. Soon the badge warped her away, and the remaining four moved on.

Moving forward, Nate learned the move Slam while they were clearing out the Pokémon. As they got deeper into Apple Woods, they started looking around for a Grass-type Pokémon. But really, they could only recruit those who offered to join. Unfortunately, with their food running short, they couldn't afford to look around any longer.

The members of Team Rapid looked at each other and shrugged. They would have a chance to look for a Grass-type Pokémon to recruit when they did missions for this place later.

Focusing on continuing forward from that point on, they returned to where the stairs were on the map and climbed them.

They felt the atmosphere change, and Martha said as they entered a large glade with a Apple trees growing all around, "This is the deepest point in Apple Woods, isn't it? According to Chatot, the Perfect Apples should be around here…" She looked around the trees, trying to spot them.

Maribel said, "Er… Martha?" She pointed straight ahead, and the rest of the group looked.

There was a massive tree that dwarfed all of the others, and hanging on the tree were equally massive apples. Psymon nodded, "Very large apples… Seems to match Chatot's description."

Martha said, "All right, then… How should we get those Perfect Apples?"

A new voice spoke up, "Chaw-haw-haw! You don't!"

Nate tensed up, "So you followed us here. Why am I not surprised?"

Team Skull dropped down from the branches of the giant tree, and Martha said, "What?! You!"

"Chaw-haw-haw! Team Skull at your service!" Skuntank said with a bow.

Zubat snickered, "Heh-heh. Hey, it's wimpy and company. What took you so long?"

Smacking his lips, Koffing said, "We've been having us a picnic of Perfect Apples while waiting for you to show. What took you so long? Whoa-ho-ho! You took so long, I stuffed myself!"

Martha growled and said, "They're saying they ate the Perfect Apples, Ian. But there are still a few left on the tree. Let's knock those creeps out and take home some Perfect Apples."

"Chaw-haw-haw. If you want to blame somebody in this situation, blame your Pikachu friend. If he hadn't tattled on us, we wouldn't be here to teach you a lesson."

"Liar," Nate accused. "Even if I hadn't, you'd still be here trying everything you can to make us look bad."

"Well, we'll take you on fair and square. Chaw-haw-haw!" Skuntank smirked.

Skuntank and Koffing moved forward, lining up, while Zubat flew back. Martha tensed up and warned everyone in her team, "Everyone, watch out! They're going to try something!"

"Chaw-haw-haw! Let's see if you can withstand this attack. Koffing and I will use our… noxious gas com-gak!" Skuntank didn't get to finish as he was zapped by Nate's Thunder Wave. He was unable to move because of the paralysis, and therefore, unable to add his half of the combination.

Nate had dropped to all fours, his cheeks still sparking and ready to move swiftly, "If you're going to try to make us fail our mission, we might as well make it a battle."

Martha registered that Nate had thrown the gauntlet, and said, "Yeah! We'll knock you out and complete our mission!"

Nate glanced back at Psymon and Maribel, "If we lose, and don't get any Perfect Apples back to the guild, then this mission will be a failure. Maribel, you take the Treasure Bag and fly up the tree to get some Perfect Apples; Psymon, cover her. Once you get the Perfect Apples, use your badge to return to the guild. The three of us will take care of Team Skull."

Maribel nodded and Psymon saluted before they started making for the massive tree, Psymon tossing the Treasure Bag up in the air to Maribel on the way.

At that time, Skuntank had managed to take a Cheri Berry from his Treasure Bag and eat it. He glared at Koffing and Zubat, "Don't just stand there, you numbskulls! Stop them!"

"Yes, Chief!"

Koffing floated up and used Smokescreen to cover the area in smoke. He floated up to attack Maribel, but he was batted away with a Wing Attack without any trouble. Maribel continued her flight, able to see right through the smoke. **(AN: Keen Eye: prevents loss of accuracy.)**

'Odd. I expected Zubat to attack too,' she thought. Risking a look back, she saw that Psymon had Zubat paralyzed with blue rings floating out of his body, and his eyes were also glowing blue. 'That must be his Disable attack.' Maribel landed on a branch near one of the Perfect Apples and started pulling at it with her claws to get it off the branch and into the Treasure Bag.

"Grr…! If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," Skuntank bit out as he ran to attack Maribel on the tree. But before he could get to the tree, Nate and Martha ran in front of him and stood in his way. "If you know what's good for you, you'll get out of my way!" Skuntank growled.

Martha shook her head, "I'll never back down!"

Koffing had recovered from the attack and started floating over, "Chief! I'll help!"

Before he could get closer, he got zapped by Nate's Thunder Shock. "It's not smart to talk when you're using a Smokescreen for cover," Nate lectured. A Reviver Seed floated out of Skuntank's bag into the smoke, presumably to Koffing.

"All right, that's it!" Skuntank shouted. "You want to fight me? Take this!" Bright purple claws extended from his paws and he slashed at both Nate and Martha. Nate grabbed Martha and doubles of them started appearing all around Skuntank. The pair that he slashed through fizzled and vanished. All of the doppelgangers gradually fanned out, becoming a wider circle, until he couldn't see them because of the smoke.

He looked around, "You can't hide forever!" Just then, another Reviver Seed floated out of his Treasure Bag and into the smoke. Soon after that, Water Gun attacks started being shot towards the general area where he was. 'Damn it! Can't trust those two to do anything right!' "Zubat! This smoke is more trouble than it's worth! Once you're up, use Defog and clear it out!"

Raising his voice made him a clearer target, but he didn't care. 'Once this smoke's gone, I'll thrash them myself.' Right at that moment, Maribel dived down at him, covered in an orange electric-like aura, and struck him straight in the head. Skuntank felt a huge majority of his strength leave him as orange electricity crackled across his body. **(AN: Endeavor; deals damage equal to opponent's health minus user's health. It didn't have an anime definition, so I made one.)**

Maribel flew back up and her badge had already been glowing. But twenty seconds hadn't passed yet, so she pressed the badge with her wing and then vanished before Skuntank had a chance to counterattack.

Skuntank wasn't deterred. 'That bird thinks she made a difference, but she didn't!' He took out a Sitrus Berry and ate it to restore his energy. Soon, blue sickles of energy swept the Smokescreen away.

Team Skull regrouped, as did Team Rapid. Skuntank laughed, "Chaw-haw-haw! You might've gotten the Perfect Apples, but it wasn't smart letting your little birdy fly off with your Treasure Bag. We'll still show you not to cross us!"

Skuntank shot a cloud of Toxic gas at Psymon, and he couldn't hold his breath long enough. Even though he was poisoned, Psymon's eyes glowed blue and he gripped his head. Koffing was suddenly outlined in blue and couldn't move, being gripped in Psymon's Confusion. Koffing was thrown back into the giant tree, which was now empty of Perfect Apples, and he passed out.

Nate and Martha went for Skuntank, trying to take him down. Unfortunately, Skuntank dodged Nate's Thunder Wave this time, and countered with Flamethrower on both of them. Zubat flew closer to help, but he was suddenly gripped in mid-air. "Not again…!"

Psymon's vision was dimming, and he said, "Ian! I'm holding Zubat still, but I can't stay in much longer! Quick! Finish him off!"

Nate's head quickly turned towards Zubat and he used Thunder Shock, causing Zubat to fall to the ground unconscious. At the same time, Psymon fell over, shaking from the poison. Martha ran over and held up her badge, "You get back to the guild and have them fix you up!" Her badge glowed and Psymon's badge resonated before he was warped out of the dungeon.

Before Martha could get back to the fight, she was slashed from behind. "Chaw-haw-haw! Never take your eyes off your opponent!" Martha fell to the ground, out of the fight, but she was still conscious. Skuntank turned towards Nate. "Now you'll pay! Chaw-haw-haw!"

Nate held his serious expression, staring Skuntank down. But before too long, his mouth started quivering. Soon, he was snickering and it turned into full-blown laughter. Skuntank glared at him, "What's so funny?"

Nate wiped a mock-tear away from his eye, "You are. You might've thought we didn't suspect you would attack us here, but I did. In fact, I was _counting_ on it."

"What?!" Skuntank shouted.

"Let me spell it out for you," Nate grinned. "Where are you and your team, right now? I'll answer for you; you're here. And our recruit, Maribel left with the Perfect Apples, back to the guild, what, five minutes ago? If you're _here_, and she's _there_, who covers for you?"

* * *

"…And that is the full extent of my report, sir." Maribel was standing in front of Chatot with the Treasure Bag in between them, the Perfect Apples laid out. "As far as I know, the rest of my team is still fighting off Team Skull as we speak."

Chatot's expression was unreadable as he took in everything that he had heard from Team Rapid's recruit. Then a vein started throbbing on his head as he said, "I see… Well, _obstacles_ aside, I thank you and the rest of Team Rapid for what you managed to get. You're dismissed."

* * *

"The answer? Nobody. You have no alibi," Nate finished. "We can keep fighting, but every second is more evidence against you."

Martha was in stunned silence as she looked between Nate's smug expression and Skuntank, who looked like he both wanted to get back to the guild as fast as he could and completely throttle the Pikachu in front of him.

Apparently, the former won out, because he pulled out an Escape Orb and said, "This isn't over, you hear?! Not by a long shot! Chaw-haw-haw!" He threw the Escape Orb and shattered it at his feet, warping him and the unconscious Koffing and Zubat out of Apple Woods.

After they were gone, Nate let out a breath of relief and walked over to Martha. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, but… You planned _all_ of this? Every last detail?" Martha asked.

Nate shook his head, "Not _every_ detail. Several things could've gone wrong. Team Skull could've not shown up, though it was unlikely, Maribel could've been knocked out before she got away with the Perfect Apples – I didn't plan for her to attack Skuntank – they could've regrouped and pulled off that combination during the battle. Also, I was totally bluffing about baiting him to continue fighting. That Flamethrower kind of put me at my limit. In any case, can you stand? We need to get back to the guild ourselves."

Martha nodded, and she managed to shakily stand with a bit of effort, "I'll have to take it easy on the way back, but I think I can manage. Although, I have to wonder, just who _were_ you if you could plan something that efficiently?"

Nate smiled as "Ian" and said, "I'd answer you if I could." He really would, but that could possibly jeopardize his mission. Even if Martha agreed with his mission, she was kind of loose-lipped. 'Just because she might trust me enough doesn't mean others would.'

* * *

When Nate and Martha got back, they reported to Chatot. He said, "The Perfect Apples were delivered, and your recruit, Psymon, was patched up by Chimecho's Heal Bell. Your day's work is complete. You are dismissed." Then as Chatot was leaving, he seemed to have an afterthought, "Oh, and don't worry about Team Skull any longer. They were banned from the premises."

That night, after dinner, Martha said, relieved, "Well, whatever Team Skull was planning has just been stopped, and it's thanks to you, Ian. You exposed them and got them kicked off of the expedition."

Nate nodded and said, "Hopefully, we never see them again. Well, good night, Martha. Tomorrow, we resume our efforts to get picked for the expedition."

Martha nodded, and the two of them went to sleep for the night.

* * *

**With the first day of school drawing nearer and nearer, I'll probably have enough time to write only one more chapter. After that, I need to actually prioritize studying and school over writing. I didn't do so hot last semester, and I need to pick it up. I hope you all understand. And know that writing this story will always be number 2 on my list.**

**-AJ203**


	9. No Fun with Spoilers

**What's this? Could I be trying to chastise those who didn't play the game before reading this? Nah, you'll see why I made that the title in the chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 9: No Fun with Spoilers

"Arrrgh! I can't believe that those weaklings got us kicked off of the expedition!"

Outside of Treasure Town, with the moon being the only witness, Skuntank was pacing back and forth and cursing Team Rapid, particularly that Pikachu, for ruining the plan he'd come up with.

Zubat and Koffing just watched as their leader vented and cursed and paced. There were times when they could speak up to add their opinions and times when it was best to make themselves as unnoticeable as possible. Right now, it was the latter.

After a few more minutes of Skuntank pacing around and using Night Slash on a few bushes to cut them to pieces while fantasizing it being the smug co-leader that had ruined everything for him, Skuntank took a deep breath.

"Whoa-ho-ho. Feel better now, Chief?" Koffing tentatively asked.

Skuntank turned sharply to him, "I'll be all better when we get our revenge on that team of weaklings. You saw what happened last time; I had that fight in the bag! If their little bird hadn't gotten away and ratted us out to Chatot, we would've had them beat!"

Zubat thought and said, "Heh-heh-heh. If we could catch them all alone, without them having any contact with the guild… If they stay behind during the expedition, they can't tell on us to Wigglytuff or Chatot."

Koffing smirked, "Whoa-ho-ho! That's good, that's good… Let's work on that. And even if those wimps somehow get in, the expedition is guild-exclusive, right? That means that they'll probably split up when they travel. We tail them and wait for them to be alone, then bam! We take them out. Whoa-ho-ho!"

"Right…" Skuntank grinned, "Our original plan was to get in on the expedition, and if we stick around lying low after we take them out, and the treasure's found, we go back to our original plan of knocking out the guild's crew and then nabbing it. Chaw-haw-haw!"

* * *

Nate and Martha promptly showed up for the morning address the next day. Martha had been getting better about waking up with Nate's first attempt, if only to escape the shock that he'd use if she tried sleeping in. Nate heard Wigglytuff ask Chatot where "his friends" were. Chatot said, "Forgive me, Guildmaster, but they will be unable to attend the expedition."

"Oh… Okay!" Wigglytuff didn't lose his cheer for a moment. But that was probably because Chatot didn't tell him the reason why they were banned. He would prefer to keep the guild and the cliff where they were in one piece.

Chatot breathed a quick sigh of relief before turning back to the apprentices and clearing his throat, "Ahem. One last item. Tomorrow or the day after… Or perhaps in several days' time… We plan to announce the members of the expedition party."

The other apprentices were really happy about that. As they cheered, Chatot said, "Everyone, this is your last chance to make an impression. Work hard and impress us if you want to be chosen. All right, everyone. Let's get down to work as usual."

"HOORAY!"

After everybody left for their posts, Chatot called out to Nate and Martha, "Ah, you two! Your assignment is to do listed jobs today. Understood? We're counting on you. That's all." The two of them nodded, and started leaving for the upper underground floor. But as they passed the ladder, another voice called out for them.

"Meh-heh-heh! Hey, you two over there…"

Nate and Martha turned towards the sound of the voice, and they saw Croagunk waving for them to come over. They walked over and Croagunk said, "Meh-heh-heh. I heard that Team Skull got kicked out of the guild. And I saw them following you yesterday with some surly looks on their faces. You have anything to do with them getting kicked out?"

"I suppose," Nate replied. "They tried to sabotage our mission." Technically true, even though he had intended for them to do so. By making it clear that he exposed them, he used himself as bait to take advantage of their anger. 'Although…' Nate thought. 'Perhaps I should be more careful. It's not just me at risk anymore. The rest of the team could've seriously gotten hurt…'

Croagunk shrugged, "I suppose it's got nothing to do with me, but… Meh-heh-heh." He waved his hand, "Anyway, that's not why I called you here. Meh-heh-heh! The waiting's over! It's about my shop. Meh-heh-heh! The Croagunk Swap Shop is back in business!"

Martha tilted her head, "Pardon? The Croagunk Swap Shop?"

"Meh-heh-heh! You heard right!" Croagunk nodded, "I finally finished repairing my Swap Cauldron, which means that I'm finally back in business again! Meh-heh-heh!" He pointed at the cauldron filled with bubbling purple liquid behind him, "You put certain kinds of items in this here Swap Cauldron… And those items get swapped for an item offered up by another Pokémon somewhere around Treasure Town. There are some Pokémon around that have pretty rare items for swapping. So you could end up with a stupendously great swap. Get it? Meh-heh-heh! So if you two feel like swapping items, you bring them to me, all right? Meh-heh-heh!"

Nate and Martha nodded, and Nate said, "We'll keep that in mind."

* * *

"…Maribel, you were here when I got here. Do you know what's going on?"

Maribel turned to Psymon and shook her head, "I was just coming to meet up, as usual, and there was… this."

"Would that the owner of this establishment wouldst speak up presently," Regina added. "We doth dislike being held in suspense."

The three recruits of Team Rapid were waiting at their usual spot in Spinda Café, but there was a huge crowd gathering inside of it. They were still waiting for their leaders, but apparently there was some sort of big announcement to be made by Spinda.

"Wow, there's a crowd." At the familiar voice, the three recruits turned and saw Nate and Martha standing near the entrance. Regina called out to them, "Ian, Martha! Pray, come hither!"

After spotting their recruits, the two of them walked over and Nate said, "Do you know what's going on here?"

Psymon shook his head, "We were hoping you did."

At that point, Spinda raised his hands, "May I have everyone's attention, please! First of all, I'd like to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules! Today I would like to give you some wonderful news of hopes and dreams!"

Everybody cheered and, after a while, Spinda got their attention by clearing his throat. "Ahem. Thanks to your kind patronage, this café has been quite popular… We've been fortunate to have so many wonderful customers! This shop's pride and joy, the Recycle Shop, is fully operational and has collected many items. We would like to thank you for your kind patronage…" He paused for effect, and then Spinda threw his hands in the air, "By opening a new service!" Confetti blasted in the air and he said, "We're calling it Project P!" More confetti blasted in the air.

One of the audience members, a Mr. Mime, asked, "Project P?" Another, an Octillery, chimed in, "What's that?"

Spinda lowered his arms and said, "This project aims to use that items gathered at the Recycle Shop in order to explore unexplored places. Allow me to explain. Right now at the Recycle Shop, you trade several items in exchange for one of the shop's items. Thanks to everyone's continued recycling efforts, we have gathered a lot of items at the shop. The service will continue to operate in the same manner…"

Spinda clasped his hands, "And now with Project P established… You might be wondering how Project P fits into all of this…" He spun around with his arms in the air, "We'll use the accumulated items to explore unexplored areas! There are still so many places around the world that are waiting to be found and explored. So many secret treasures and challenging puzzles waiting to be discovered… So let's go out and find them! That's what Project P is about!" Spinda stopped spinning and said, "Ah, the pursuit of knowledge…"

Spinda held his hands out to his sides, "And continuing exploration…" Two fans appeared in his hands, and he said, "We'll find dazzling treasures and new exploration areas! (Probably…) And if you bring your discoveries back to the café… You'll get a special deal at the Recycle Shop! This should keep items circulating through the Recycle Shop. The items at the Recycle Shop will become more and more amazing!"

The fans disappeared, and Spinda threw his hands up into the air, "Use the recycled items to explore the world! Don't you think it's a magnificent project, full of hopes and dreams?"

The patrons of the Spinda Café cheered. "Whoa! This is genius!" "It seems so economical!"

Spinda said, "We've already sent out an exploration team to find unexplored areas! There should be new discoveries before long!" He raised a hand in the air "So, everyone! Please keep recycling, more and more every day! Let's all work together and find unexplored areas!"

"HOORAY!"

Martha was excited about Project P, "Amazing! So cool! Recycling leftover items, trading them around… They're bound to turn into unbelievable treasures! And being able to explore the enexplored! Ooh! I'm so excited! We should recycle more!"

Nate sweated a bit at Martha's sudden insistence after they initially didn't pay the Recycle Shop much mind. After all, they were just starting out. They barely had enough items for themselves, much less to give away.

After Nate pointed this out to Martha, she pouted a bit, but said, "I guess you have a point, but we ought to keep it in mind."

With that settled, Team Rapid started talking about plans for the day. Maribel and Psymon were going to be rotating on training sessions with Regina, Maribel first, and then they had four outlaw missions for Waterfall Cave. The outlaws that they were to catch were a Surskit, a Chingling, a Butterfree, and a Kabuto. With the advantages of Electric, Flying and Bug moves, they decided that Maribel and Regina would be traveling with them that day. Psymon nodded and said that he'd keep an eye out for the data being switched and take any prospective jobs that he spotted while they were gone.

Nodding, Nate, Martha, Maribel and Regina left to go to Marowak Dojo. From training that day, Nate learned Thunderbolt, Martha learned Quick Attack, Psymon learned Water Pulse, Maribel learned Whirlwind, and Regina learned Bug Bite.

* * *

"Ha-ha! You've fallen right into my trap!" After the Chingling outlaw said this, several Pokémon appeared in the room. 'A monster house! Martha told me about these. The Pokémon shouldn't be too big a threat, but we don't want to get boxed in.'

As if reading his thoughts, the wind started picking up and two of the minions in front of Chingling were blown away. Maribel said, "I'll handle crowd control! You all get the leader!"

Regina buzzed forward and used Gust to knock away a Tangela in her way, "You cannot hope to stand against us and our team!" She rushed the outlaw and bit down on the back of his head using Bug Bite.

"Agh!" Chingling shook back and forth, "Get off of me!"

"Never!" Regina bit down again.

Nate used Thunderbolt to clear out a group of water Pokémon, and Maribel took down a Tangela and a Barboach using Wing Attack. Martha used Quick Attack and rushed a Psyduck, taking it down before it had a chance to do anything.

The outlaw finally shook Regina off and said, "Take this!" The rope-like extensions on his head stretched out and grabbed onto Regina using Wrap. Regina squirmed, and Chingling laughed, but he was tapped on his shoulder. After he turned around, he was grabbed and slammed into the ground by Nate, knocking him out. **(AN: In case it isn't clear, that's Slam.)**

The ropes around Regina untied, and the last of the minions were blown away into the water by another Whirlwind, courtesy of Maribel. After Nate warped Chingling away with his wanted poster, Team Rapid took a good look around the room for the first time.

Nate whistled, the room was full of Poké, "Huh. Martha, you told me about monster houses before, do they usually have this much reward?"

Martha nodded, "They're dangerous, but they usually have a lot of money and/or items in them, sometimes even rare items. If you can overcome the challenge, then you can pick them up. However, in strong dungeons, exploration teams often take a large accumulation of items to be a sign to steer clear."

Maribel said, "Well, we didn't exactly have a choice to steer clear. The outlaw was waiting to ambush us."

"In our opinion, 'twould be best if we simply collected our spoils of victory and moved on," Regina suggested. "There are two more missions we've yet to accomplish, and we'll not get them done by discussing the minutiae of ambush tactics."

The rest of the team agreed and continued on. The Butterfree outlaw fell easily to Nate's Thunder Shock and Maribel's Quick Attack before he even got more than three feet away. The Kabuto outlaw turned out to be trickier, since she knew Mud Shot, but Martha defended Nate from it, and he finished the outlaw off with a Thunderbolt.

Martha looked extremely uncomfortable covered in mud and, before they warped out, she said to Nate, "You owe me, big time."

* * *

After Team Rapid received their rewards, a Reviver Seed and a TM for Rest among them, surprisingly enough, Psymon greeted them and told them that he had found some missions for Apple Woods.

But they were unable to complete those missions the next day, since they were assigned sentry duty yet again. Nate, however, had been catching on to a pattern. Usually, when they were assigned to sentry duty, something important was going to happen the next day. Regardless, they completed their duty for that day, and got their pay.

Contrary to Nate's suspicions, the next day was just like any other. They found two more missions to go to Apple Woods, and they left with Maribel for support. Ordinarily, since one of the outlaws they had to catch was a Grimer, they would've taken Psymon too, but since they had an escort, and therefore needed to leave room for a fourth party member, they decided to take just Maribel. Psymon would be weak against a majority of the Grass-type's, and they had another outlaw to catch that ran away, so they needed speed.

The three of them pulled of the missions with aplomb, despite the escort trying to "help". Some patient explaining from Nate convinced the escort to let them do their job. Thankfully, the meeting place was before any outlaws that they encountered on the later floors.

They received their rewards, including a Gold Ribbon and a TM for Roost, and Nate's suspicions about something important happening today were later confirmed when Chatot said that he had an announcement to make before everyone ate dinner.

The apprentices, including Martha, made their displeasure known, and it took a bit of time for Chatot to calm them down. Nate, however, was already at attention because he knew that it had to be important if it couldn't wait until later.

After Chatot got everybody to calm down, he said, "Ahem! I'm sure the selection of the expedition members has been on everyone's minds. Our Guildmaster has apparently made his final decisions."

Everyone was in awe and cheered, excited that the decision was settled. Chatot continued, "The results will be announced at tomorrow moning's briefing. It's something to look forward to. Now, sorry to have kept you waiting. Without further ado…"

Everybody said, "LET'S EAT!"

After dinner, Martha and Nate were talking about the results of the expedition member selection. Martha said, "It's finally been decided. It's making me sort of nervous."

"We have just as much chance as everybody else," Nate replied. "If we don't get selected, then it simply means that we weren't ready yet."

Martha nodded with a slight smile, "You're right. We've worked hard and done everything that we could to make a good impression. If we don't get selected, then we should cheer for those that did. I'll have no regrets." She yawned, "I'm getting tired. Let's go to sleep. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's announcement. Okay, good night."

Nate nodded, and the two of them lay down on their beds. Nate thought about what Martha said. 'No regrets, huh? You're still a terrible liar, Martha. I can tell that this means everything to you.' Nate let out a mental sigh, '…If we're not chosen for the expedition party… Martha will be crushed. I know that it's a great honor, but I don't really care, since it's not what I came here to do. I hope you get picked, Martha… You're trying so hard to achieve your dream. If we both get chosen, I promise I'll help you.'

Martha was already soundly asleep, so Nate let out a chuckle out loud, 'When I first arrived, all I cared about was my mission. Martha's softness is getting to me. But I'm causing changes in her too; she grows more confident by the day. Will all of that be undone when…?'

'…'

Nate pushed the unwelcome thought away and adjusted himself to get more comfortable on his bed. 'Thinking about that won't help anything. For now, I should get some sleep. And I still have yet to find out anything about the Hidden Land or Relic Fragment. But I don't even know where to ask… Maybe Chatot will know something, but it'll have to wait until after the expedition.'

As Nate fell asleep, he let out a sigh out loud through his nose, 'I hope your mission is going better than mine, Grovyle.'

* * *

Deep within the recesses of Limestone Cavern, Grovyle passed a large green treasure chest, fully knowing that it was a red herring. He had managed to make good time crossing the southern peninsula. The assurance that his friend and partner was alive and well helped spur him on.

They were working together now, and their mission was now one step closer to completion.

"There it is! Another Time Gear!" He walked up and saw the gear floating in the middle of where the path ended.

"This is the second one! Three more Time Gears remain. I must have them…" As Grovyle was thinking out loud, he remembered the problem with the last three.

'From here on out, my activities will be widely known… And exploration teams hunt down wanted Pokémon… Nate, I hope that it doesn't come to that, but we both swore that we'd see this through to the end…'

With that, Grovyle reached up and took the Time Gear.

* * *

The next morning, all of the apprentices of the guild waited in suspense as Chatot cleared his throat. "Now then. I shall announce the expedition members at this time." He turned towards Wigglytuff, "Guildmaster, the memo, please."

Wigglytuff nodded and handed Chatot a piece of paper with some writing on it. Chatot turned back to the apprentices and held up the paper, "The chosen members are written on this memo. Step forward if your name is called."

The apprentices murmured to each other nervously, but they went quiet again when Chatot started speaking.

"Without further ado, I will announce those who've been chosen." He held the paper in front of himself, "Our first member… Loudred!"

"Y-yes! I DID IT!" Loudred cheered. He walked forward, "But if you really think about it, it's only NATURAL that I would get picked! WOO-HOOOO!"

The other apprentices could see right through his bluster, though he tried to deny how nervous he'd been. Regardless, Chatot continued, "Next up is… Corphish!"

Corphish cheered, "Hey, hey, hey! Got it! I got picked! Hey, hey!" Inside though, he let out a sigh of relief before he moved up to stand next to Loudred.

"Next is… Oh, what's this? Well this is a surprise! Our next member is Bidoof!"

"Really?! Really and truly?!" Bidoof seemed just as surprised as Chatot was. "Golly… Me?! I'm going on the expedition?!" After a bit of time, with Bidoof standing still, Chatot said, "Hm? Is anything the matter, Bidoof? Come on, step forward."

Bidoof replied, "Urf… I sure want to step up, I truly do, but… I'm feeling a might overwhelmed here. My legs aren't moving…"

"So be it. We'll ignore it and move on." Chatot held up the paper to read from again, "Next we have Sunflora and Chimecho!"

"Oh? Us too?" Chimecho asked.

"Eek! Oh my gosh!" Sunflora squealed.

Chatot nodded, "Erm, yes… And there we have the expedition party members!"

Nate let out a sigh through his nose as he heard a sound of disappointment from Martha behind him, 'Well, looks like it just wasn't meant to be… I hope I can make Martha understand that things like this come with experience.'

"So that's it for the expedition members… Erm… What's this…?" Everyone turned to face Chatot as he tilted the paper sideways. 'There's something scribbled on the margins of this memo…' Chatot thought. 'The Guildmaster's writing is such a messy scrawl… This is so hard to decipher… Erk! If I said that aloud, the consequences wouldn't be pretty. Best to keep a stiff upper beak and swallow those words.'

Seeing everybody looking at him expectantly, he said, "Erm… It appears that there are more expedition members. The others are… Diglett, Dugtrio, and Croagunk. Oh, and Martha and Ian." The remaining apprentices perked up, and Chatot said, "That is all." Then, what just happened registered, and he said in shock, "Wait a second! What?! What?! Whaaaat?!"

Chatot turned to Wigglytuff, "Guildmaster! This list seems to include… every member of the guild!"

Wigglytuff nodded, "Yup! That's right!"

Chatot continued, "Well then! It seems that the whole selection process was meaningless. Moreover, if we were to all go, we would be leaving the guild empty! Are you sure it will be all right to leave with no one to look after the guild?"

Wigglytuff nodded again, "It'll be fine. We'll lock up properly." He turned to the address the room, "So that's how it is, everyone! We're all going on the expedition, and it will be fun, fun, fun! Let's all do our best!"

"HOORAY!" everyone in the room cheered. Even Nate found himself swept up in the moment.

Chatot groaned and murmured, "Well, that's settled." He shook his head and said, "Fine. Let me explain the schedule. Right after this, I will hold a briefing on the expedition. As such the chosen members (that is, everyone)… Each of you should get prepared to embark on the expedition.

"Let me remind you that this is a guild-exclusive expedition. You may not bring nonguild members of your teams. As such, you won't be able to add members at Chimecho Assembly. They simply aren't allowed to join the expedition. Keep that in mind while you are making preparations. When you are prepared for the upcoming journey, you should return here. Then, inform me of your readiness. That is all. Dismissed!"

The apprentices huddled up after Wigglytuff left into his chambers and Chatot waited by the door.

Sunflora cheered, "I could scream, I'm so happy! Everyone is going on the expedition!"

"Our Guildmaster has done it again," Chimecho agreed. "I'm so shocked, I'm tingling!"

Martha shook her head in disbelief, "I wasn't expecting us to be picked, so that was a total surprise! I'm glad we never gave up!"

"Hey, hey!"

After Corphish's explanation, Bidoof sniffled, "…By golly, I'm mighty happy that they're even letting me go on this here expedition… Oh, but not just me! Why, everyone gets to go… Sniff… It's like I'm dreaming. It's making me feel mighty emotional…"

"It's no dream," Dugtrio corrected. "This is really happening. Anyway, since we are all going, it means that we're all going to be put to the test as well. That's why I would like to propose that all of us apprentices work as one. And let's make this expedition a success!"

"Yippee! That's the spirit!" Sunflora cheered.

Loudred shouted, "Yeah! THAT'S the spirit!"

"Let's do our best!" added Chimecho.

Bidoof sniffled and Martha said, "Let's band together and do it!"

Everybody cheered, and they soon dispersed to begin getting ready for travel.

* * *

On the way to Treasure Town, Nate noticed that the Treasure Bag felt weird again. When he opened it, he noticed that there was another note somehow taped to the inside of the flap. Once again, it was from the Exploration Team Federation, rewarding them with an enlarged Treasure Bag.

When he brought this to Martha's attention, she nodded and said, "Oh! Ian, could you go ahead and let the recruits know that they have time off until further notice? I'll take the Treasure Bag and stock up on items for the trip."

Nate nodded and passed the Treasure Bag on to Martha before heading to Spinda Café.

* * *

Team Skull watched the two leaders from Team Rapid split up from the trees surrounding the crossroads.

"Whoa-ho-ho! So wimpy and company actually made it on the expedition."

"Well, color me surprised! Heh-heh-heh!"

"Chaw-haw-haw! That means that we'll get our revenge with the treasure of the expedition."

"Heh-heh-heh. So we tail whatever group they wind up in?"

"Yes. Chaw-haw-haw! I want to give them special attention before we get to the rest of our plan!"

* * *

After explaining everything to the recruits, and receiving their wishes of good luck, Nate left up the stairs of Spinda Café and waited for Martha to return. Once she did, she seemed extra happy about something.

"Ian, Ian! I was passing by Kecleon Market, and they had them done!"

Nate raised an eyebrow, "'Them', what?"

Martha hopped up and down in excitement, "Remember a week ago, when we started training at Marowak Dojo, how I left to go drop off all our items at storage?" Nate nodded, and she continued, "Well, I dropped something off at Kecleon Market to be refined and made into this!"

She reached into the Treasure Bag and pulled out a necklace. The string made out of woven Spinarak silk, and at the bottom was a blue oval-cut gem fixed into a metal plate with a ring at the top for the string to go through. And it wasn't just any gem; it was the one that they had excavated from Waterfall Cave. It was considerably smaller than it was when Psymon pulled it out, but it was cut and polished to be more dazzling.

Nate stared at it for a moment before looking at Martha, "Why…?"

Martha handed it to him and pulled out a matching necklace with the purple gem, cut, polished and fixed to the string in the same way. "I wanted to have them made into good luck charms, and it was just perfect timing that they were finished today!"

'Great… Now I have a physical reminder of how close she's gotten to me.' But Nate couldn't refuse the gift, so he put it over his neck. Martha squealed and put hers on too before leading Nate back up the steps of the guild.

* * *

After everyone reported back to the guild for briefing, Chatot glanced around, "All accounted for, it appears. Well then. Let me explain about this expedition. First, the objective: the exploration of Fogbound Lake."

Nate's ears perked up, and Martha asked, "Fogbound Lake?"

Chatot turned to Martha and Nate, "Correct. It is a lake that is said to be located far to the east. However, it is perpetually enshrouded by a dense fog. As such, its actual existence has never been confirmed… It is merely the foggy mirage of a spot that lives to this day on rumor alone."

Although Nate's face was passive, his thoughts were buzzing, 'He had mentioned that it was a lake to the far east a while back… But I had been too tired that day to think much of it! The guild wants to explore _that_ lake?!' Eventually, they calmed, 'Very well, then. Looks like I'll be helping both ends with this expedition.'

"It is also rumored… A treasure of exquisite beauty is hidden there!" Chatot finished, drawing Nate's attention back to the conversation.

"Wow! Treasure?!" Martha marveled. "We're going on a treasure hunt! This is so exciting!"

Wigglytuff laughed, "Yup! It will be fun, fun, fun!"

'"Treasure", eh? Well, that's one way to put it. This expedition just got a lot less suspenseful for me. It's no fun if you know the end already…'

"Everyone," Chatot called, "open your Wonder Maps, please."

Everyone did so, and Chatot held up his own. As the continent drew itself on the map, he pointed to the far east, where it was obscured by clouds. "First off… This is where Fogbound Lake is said to be. As an uncharted territory, the area is shown under a cloud cover." Gripping the map with his left wing, he pointed with his right at the small cluster of tent-like buildings on the western edge of the continent, "Our guild is here. As you can see, the lake is at a considerable distance from the guild."

He pointed with his left wing again, indicating a forest with fog drawn among its picture, "Therefore, we will encamp at the foot of the highlands here. That will serve as our base camp. If we were to travel all at once in a single group to the base camp, our mobility would be restricted. The strategy is to split up into several groups to travel to the base camp."

Chatot rolled up his map and the apprentices did likewise. "I will announce those groups now. The first group is Sunflora, Loudred, Diglett, and Croagunk."

The four Pokémon in question looked at each other, and Loudred said, "You guys! You'd better NOT hold me back!"

"You should talk!" Sunflora retorted.

Chatot ignored them and continued, "The next group is Dugtrio, Chimecho, and Corphish."

"We're a solid group!" Dugtrio proclaimed.

Chimecho nodded, "I promise to try my best!"

"Hey, hey, likewise!" Corphish agreed.

"Erm… Let's see…" Chatot thought about how to divide up the remaining Pokémon. He turned to Wigglytuff, "The Guildmaster and I shall travel as a pair… That is acceptable, yes?"

Wigglytuff pouted and moaned, "Awwwww?! I have to go with Chatot?! That's so boooooring!"

Chatot cringed, "Please don't be difficult. This is a key element of our strategy."

Wigglytuff pouted some more, "…Meanie."

Shaking it off, Chatot turned back to face the apprentices and said, "The final group is Martha, Ian, and Bidoof."

The three looked at each other, and Bidoof said, "We're in the same group! I hope I can keep up. Yup yup!"

Martha nodded, "Same here, Bidoof!"

"Well then…" Chatot said. "Everyone, let's get to it and move out!"

"HOORAY!"

* * *

**Cutting it off here because it seems to be an adequate stopping point. Also, classes start tomorrow, so writing is officially pushed to the #2 spot. I'll fit it in when I can, but I have to put studying first. See you when I see you!**

**-AJ203**


	10. Both Sides of the Street

**Confession time. In addition to having school work to work on and study for, I've also recently started out on my first Nuzlocke, ever. It's been taking up a majority of my free time, and I've underestimated just how long it takes to actually write a chapter for this story now that I've made them longer than in my previous stories. Sorry that this chapter has been taking so long. I hope that it's a read worth waiting for, and that you (the readers) enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 10: Both Sides of the Street

Nate, Martha and Bidoof walked along the rocky coast, the ocean splashing against the cliffs. Nate recognized this place as the spot where he met Grovyle, but said nothing of it. Martha was staring at the sea shimmering in the daylight as the trio walked and, again, Nate found himself amused by her exuberance.

"Wow! The sea is right up this way, Ian! And just look at this cliff!"

Bidoof nodded, "Yup yup! I reckon this is looking more and more like a true expedition!"

'Hm, somehow, all of the first-timers got lumped into one group…' Nate mused.

"The path ahead surely will get tricky, just what real explorers like to see!" Bidoof continued. He turned to a stone statue of a Kangaskhan. "And this… this here is something well known to all explorers… It's a Kangaskhan Rock."

Nate was already familiar, so he tuned out Bidoof's explanation to Martha. After Bidoof confided how nervous he was on his first expedition, Martha said, "Ha, that goes for us too. We're all beginners at this. Let's just do our best! Let's have a look at the Wonder Map."

Nate nodded and unrolled the Wonder Map between the three of them. An Explorer Badge icon appeared where they were at the coast, and Martha pointed with her paw, "This is where we are now." She pointed at the Foggy Forest, "We're supposed to join up with everyone at the base camp. That's way over here. So, as a first step, we could try reaching this spot." To finish, she pointed at a mountain in the middle of the range with a skinny, curved peak. "Want to try reaching here as our first objective?"

Nate nodded and Bidoof said, "Yup yup! I agree with that!"

As Martha scouted the path ahead, Nate thought, 'Martha's acting more like a leader. Even though she said that she was nervous, she seems to be in her element. That's good to see. She was so timid before, and now she's getting more confident, bit by bit. Good to know…'

"Oh… Huh?" Martha seemed confused and she said, "Ian, there seem to be two entrances up ahead, not just one."

Bidoof said, "Huh? Now, that is mighty vexing."

Martha turned to Nate, "What should we do, Ian? Which way should we go?"

Nate looked closely at the two entrances. One seemed to go straight, while the other went to the left, towards the side. He pointed straight, "This way."

Martha nodded, "All right. Now…"

"Let's all three work together and get this done!" Bidoof cheered.

The three of them started moving forward, but Nate got a prickly feeling on the back of his neck and turned around. Nothing was there. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Nate had only ever gotten that feeling when he felt like he was being watched. That instinct had saved his and Grovyle's lives more than once in the future.

"Ian?" Martha called to him. "Are you coming or not?"

Nate nodded and decided to dismiss it for now. After the trio entered, the entrance disappeared, the coast dungeon transforming into rooms and corridors, with networks of water crisscrossing. Nate charged his electricity, ready to battle.

However, due to the extensive training that Nate and Martha had undertaken while training their recruits, they were far, far stronger than any Pokémon in the dungeon. Especially with the main type of Pokémon being Water-type. As such, they were able to explore at their leisure, to look for items to add to storage. Bidoof stuck close to them, helping where he could.

After a few floors, the trio walked away from a room, and Martha said, "Who would've thought that there'd be a market all the way out here? Shame there wasn't anything we needed."

As they were talking, Martha was taking the lead, when suddenly, the floor vanished beneath her, revealing a staircase. Unfortunately, that left Martha floating in the air for a split second before she fell down said stairs. Once Nate and Bidoof caught up, a Kirlia walked over to them.

"Good afternoon and congrats. You've found the Secret Bazaar!"

Martha rubbed her head, "Ow… More like it found us…"

Kirlia smiled awkwardly, "Sorry, that's how most of our customers find us. I'm Kirlia, the Bazaar Guide. Feel free to explore the shops here."

They did so, and the only thing that they had a use for right then and there was the Mime Jr.'s Spa. After they were fully restored, they thanked the Mime Jr. and set out to continue going through the dungeon.

After three more floors and a treasure box collected, they found themselves at the end of the dungeon and in a mountainous region.

Bidoof sighed in relief, "Whew… By golly, I reckon we're finally through."

Martha nodded, "Yes, but we're still quite far from the base camp. Let's look at the Wonder Map."

One the map was rolled out, Martha took a look at the location of the explorer badge. "This must be where we are. The base camp is there."

Bidoof nodded, "I reckon we've gotten ourselves a lot closer."

"It's not far now," Martha commented thoughtfully. "If we cross this mountain now, we'll reach the base camp. But if we start climbing the mountain now, it'll be night before we finish… Should we rest here for today?"

Nate looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was in the west, but still pretty far from setting. Yes, it would be nighttime before they finished, but it would be early nighttime. Also, he was getting that prickly feeling on the back of his neck again.

"I, for one, think that we should keep going," Nate said. When the other two looked at him, he said, "We were fully restored by that Mime Jr., we have enough food, and even if it'll be dark, we can find our way and get to camp tonight, then rest up for tomorrow there."

Martha tilted her head, "What's the rush? Can't we relax a little?"

Nate looked over his shoulder. Still nothing there, but he could _feel_ the gaze that had been there moments before. He dropped his voice to a murmur, "Listen, I don't want to alarm either of you, but I feel like we're being watched. I'd just feel… safer if we slept at the base camp instead of out here, in the open."

Martha looked around, visibly more guarded, "How long have you been having this feeling?"

"Since we were entering Craggy Coast."

Bidoof shivered, "Golly! That's a bit of a frightening thought!"

Nate nodded, "That's why I feel like we should use that Kangaskhan Rock over there and continue on."

The other two Pokémon nodded, and Nate organized the items and wrote in the Adventure Log while Martha and Bidoof watched the rocks carefully for any movement. After a bit of time, they were ready to move on. Again, Nate chose the path that looked like the main one.

* * *

While the trio of Pokémon from Wigglytuff's Guild were entering the dungeon, they were indeed being watched while their backs were turned. After they were gone, a voice snickered.

"Heh-heh-heh. Looks like the rat has some instincts after all. We were almost made."

"Whoa-ho-ho! Good thing there are so many rocks to hide behind."

"Chaw-haw-haw! I didn't plan to attack them here, but I was getting impatient anyway! Let's follow them!"

* * *

Mt. Horn proved somewhat problematic, since there were Grass and Rock-type Pokémon mixed in. Still, the three of them managed to take down any opponents. They found a few more treasure boxes and a TM for Dig. Nate insisted that he use it right away to have an edge against Rock and Steel types that Martha would find problematic. However, in reality, he wanted to learn Dig because it would provide a quick escape, should the situation arise.

As they journeyed through the mountain, the sky above turned orange before it started dimming. Despite that, they were able to keep on. Nate gave Martha and Bidoof a crash course on discerning an opponent's location by sound, rather than sight.

By the time that the moon was about halfway to its peak in the sky, they found themselves in a forested area and saw the outline of tents.

Bidoof panted, "Huff-huff… W-we did it! We got over Mt. Horn! We finally made it! Yes sirree! We have arrived at the base camp!"

Chatot was standing guard in the center of camp. Once he spotted the three of them, he said, "Ah, I see that you've arrived! You're the last group to arrive, but better late than never. Set your equipment down and get some sleep! We'll commence the strategy briefing early tomorrow."

Bidoof nodded, "Yes sirree!"

* * *

Nate woke up with the sun again and woke Martha and Bidoof up as everyone was gathering. While Chatot discussed the plan, Nate took a look around the forest.

'It looks the same as my vision, and yet it's entirely different in person…' he thought.

Chatot called out to them, "Somewhere within this forest, Fogbound Lake is supposedly concealed… But so far, that has been nothing more than rumor. Exploration teams of all stripes have mounted many a challenged, but so far the lake has eluded discovery."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Corphish called out. "Hey, hey! So is it really there or what? This Fogbound Lake?"

Nate answered mentally, 'It's there all right. You just have to know where to look.' But Sunflora answered, "Silly Corphish. You'll wreck the dream if you say something like that."

"Yeah, don't spoil things now!" Loudred added.

Corphish had the grace to look sorry, "Hey, hey…"

Chimecho spoke up, "Um, may I? While we were traveling, I heard about a certain legend."

Chatot tilted his head, "A legend, you say?"

"Yes," Chimecho answered, "A legend about Fogbound Lake. According to the legend, Fogbound Lake is home to a Pokémon named Uxie. The Pokémon is said to be exceedingly rare. Uxie is said to lock eyes with others and wipe their memories clean."

Everybody in the guild except Nate was surprised and a little unnerved.

"That is why, even if challengers were to happen upon Fogbound Lake… Uxie would wipe their memories clean… Thereby muzzling the travelers from revealing the existence of the lake. And that is how Uxie protects Fogbound Lake. I was told such a legend remains."

While the other members of the guild were talking nervously amongst themselves, Martha was processing the information from the legend.

'A Pokémon that wipes the memories of trespassers… Could it be…?'

Martha's thoughts were cut off when Chatot called everyone back to attention. He said, "You should realize that places of this sort can be expected to have a folktale or a legend attached to them. Our guild has overcome difficult challenges and obstacles when conducting successful explorations."

"Absolutely, eek!" Sunflora squealed in excitement.

Dugtrio's three heads nodded in unison, "That's how our guild has earned the reputation for being first class."

Wigglytuff laughed, "Ha ha ha! Don't worry, everything will be all right! Let's believe in success for this adventure too, and… Let's try! Let's try!"

Chatot nodded, "Let's move on with our plan. The Guildmaster and I shall remain here to gather intelligence from our teams in the field. You are to go off in teams to explore this forest. Be aware that this forest is enshrouded in a deep fog. Once you enter it, visibility is severely restricted. We think that Fogbound Lake has defied discovery because of this fog. Perhaps there is a way of lifting this fog. Therefore, your search is twofold. One, search for Fogbound Lake. And two, find a way to lift the fog. If you accomplish either thing, return to the base camp and tell me or the Guildmaster. That is all. All right, everyone, let's give it our best, as always."

"HOORAY!"

The members of the guild gave each other words of encouragement before splitting off into groups and going into the forest.

Nate turned to Martha, "We should get going too. We don't want to fall behind."

Martha seemed to be thinking about something, and then she turned to Nate. "Ian… I think we might have a clue for your memory loss. The legend about Uxie! If you wound up at Fogbound Lake before, then maybe you had your memories erased!"

Nate's eyebrows shot up. He was truly surprised that Martha had said that. It was wrong, but it was a very good guess. If he hadn't been lying about the amnesia from the start, he might've been inclined to believe it himself. Regardless, he put his hand to his head in mock thought.

"I… I hadn't thought of that… You might be right. Maybe I did…", he said with false wonder.

Martha nodded, "Now we have another reason to find Fogbound Lake. We need to see if Uxie is there and ask him for the truth! Let's go get ready and then go into the forest."

Nate would've been touched that Martha cared that much about his fictional amnesia. But it wouldn't matter in the end. 'I'm earning trust and friendship that I don't even want,' he thought cynically.

Resigned to the fact that he was destined to hurt her in the end, he followed as Martha looked through the items in the Kangaskhan Rock. After they sorted out their items and wrote in the Adventure Log, they walked to the entrance. Martha looked at Nate and asked which way they should go.

Nate knew precisely which way to go, but he pretended to think hard about it. "Let's see… Where to start? The path…? No, everyone searches the path. I think we should go this way." He pointed to some inconsequential direction directly into the forest.

Martha looked at it hesitantly, "Are you sure…? What if we get lost?"

Nate held up the Treasure Bag, "The reason they invented Escape Orbs."

"…All right," Martha agreed. "Let's see what we can find. Looks like those instructions on tracking opponents by sound will come in handy, huh? Let's go!"

Nate nodded and walked alongside Martha in the direction that he had chosen, fully knowing that they would be running into the key to the puzzle soon.

Sure enough, Martha noticed the shiny red stone towards the side of where they were walking. "Wait, Ian, what's this? It looks like some kind of gem!" She put a paw towards it, "Wow, it's like heat is coming from it. How curious… It doesn't seem to be lava. I'll keep it to see if I can figure something out about it later. For now, let's get back to exploring Foggy Forest!"

Martha placed the gem inside the sack where she kept the Relic Fragment, and Nate smiled and nodded. 'If we're going to be coming here, and I must feign ignorance, I might as well lift the fog for Grovyle.'

Soon after entering, the fog became even thicker and both Nate and Martha could barely see each other.

Nate said, "We'll have to stick together. The last thing we need is to get separated and lost from each other."

As they moved through the forest, Nate did his best to recall everything that he could about his visions of Foggy Forest. They needed to get to a specific point, a specific landmark. As he thought further about what lay at the end of this expedition, he internally shrugged.

'Perhaps this is why I had that vision when I came in contact with those objects and Drowzee. Those missions led us to get picked for the expedition. If I hadn't had that vision of the Hidden Land, maybe I'd believe that was it, but Martha's Relic Fragment has _something_ to do with everything in this.'

"Ian, watch out!"

Nate was caught off-guard and a Noctowl flew down at him and used Hypnosis. Martha managed to protect him, but he was horribly embarrassed that he got surprise attacked because he was too lost in thought.

Another thing that was increasingly annoying to Nate was that the fog lessened the effect of his electricity. He still had his Quick Attack, Slam and Dig attacks, but he didn't feel comfortable being without his main method of attack.

Eventually, Nate's ears picked up the sound he'd been looking for. He tapped Martha on the side and pointed, saying, "This way."

He led Martha to a clearing where several tiny waterfalls were emptying into small streams. Martha looked around, "Why did you bring us here? I can barely see in front of my face."

"We're looking for a lake, right? So finding water is a good place to start," Nate said with a raised eyebrow.

"…I can't see your face too well, but I _know_ you're making some sort of face at me," Martha said, annoyed. "But you're right about that. It sounds like there are waterfalls all around us."

"Hey, hey, hey!"

The two of them turned in the direction of the voice, and Nate said, "Oh, it seems we're not the only ones who found this place."

"Corphish, is that you?" Martha called out.

They followed the sound of his voice until they were close enough to where they could see him. He waved and said, "Hey, hey! You two find any clues?"

Nate held his tongue as Martha said, "No, nothing yet… How about you, Corphish? Any luck?"

Corphish shook his head, "I've got nothing here, either. Don't let it get you down. But… There _is_ something here that's kind of interesting."

When Martha asked what, Corphish turned and pointed behind him, up ahead, "There. Go and see for yourself."

Nate and Martha walked forward with Corphish following behind. When a large figure came into view, Martha yelped, but Corphish waved his claw, "Relax, it's just a statue. I'll admit, it gave me a fright too, hey, hey! Look closer, it seems to be a statue of a giant Pokémon."

They moved closer and the toppled statue of a giant bipedal Pokémon came into view. It was a fearsome Pokémon with many spikes along its sides, and fierce claws on its giant arms and feet. Its face seemed to be in a permanent scowl as pupil-less eyes stared off in the distance. Completing the image was a large tail with claw-like extensions on the end of it.

Martha shook, even though it was just a statue. "Wh-what kind of Pokémon is that?!"

"I've never seen a Pokémon like this before," Corphish said.

Martha gingerly moved closer and checked around the half-buried base of the statue. On the side that was slanted upwards, she climbed up and found an inscription.

She turned back to Nate and Corphish, "I found something written here in footprint runes. Let me read it… Hmm… 'Reignite the life that burned within Groudon… Then the sky shall blaze with the sun's heat… The path to treasure shall be revealed.'" She nodded, "That means that this inscription is somehow a key to moving forward!"

Corphish moved forward, "Hey, hey, hey! You think so? Now that's a mystery we've got to solve!"

Nate nodded, genuinely impressed. 'Well done, Martha. I didn't think you'd figure this much out on your own. You're only half-right, though. This is the keyhole. You need to realize that you hold the key to moving forward yourself.'

Martha placed her paw on the first line of runes, "This part, though… This part about 'life that burned within Groudon.' What's this about? This 'Groudon'… Is that the name of the Pokémon this statue was carved to represent?"

"Hey, hey! So we're supposed to what, ignite life that was in this statue?"

Martha tilted her head, "Now how are we supposed to do that?" After a bit of the two of them thinking, Nate chimed in, deciding to give a little hint before just directly assisting Martha. 'This is supposed to be about helping her confidence.'

Speaking up, he said, "Why not take a closer look at this… Groudon statue? The actual statue, I mean. There might something hidden to activate…" Nate made sure to add the right amount of hesitance at the proper points to make it seem like a vague idea instead of certain knowledge.

Martha nodded and said, "Good idea!" But then she looked at the fierce stone Pokémon. "O-on second thought, how about you check around?"

Nate sighed and shook his head, but started climbing up anyway, "It's a stone statue, Martha, it's not going to come to life and attack you. Come on, I'll check the head and neck area, and you check the front."

"Hey, hey! I'll get in on this too!" Corphish said. "I'll check the back!"

Nate climbed to the top and gave the back of the Groudon statue's head a cursory examination. He knew precisely where they had to look and that Martha would be the one to find what they needed to find.

"Wait… I think I found something! There's a hollow right here in the center of the statue's chest!"

Corphish looked from around the statue's side, "Hey, hey! Really?"

Nate dropped down onto one of the statue's massive arms and looked at the spot Martha indicated. Martha looked at the hole in the statue and then the small sack where she kept her Relic Fragment. She muttered, "No… It's too small for the Relic Fragment…"

After a bit, Martha seemed to have an idea. "Wait, Ian! That stone that we found on the path we took. It's a long shot, but it's worth a try!"

Nate nodded and Martha took out the red stone from the small sack that she always carried and turned it until the point faced the statue. Once it seemed at the right angle, she pressed it into the hollow within the statue's chest.

After that, the statues eyes lit up with a red light and the ground started to quake. Corphish rolled off the statue from losing his balance and Martha jumped off in fright. Nate clung to his precarious spot before jumping off as well. He helped Corphish up as Martha said, "Watch out! Everyone, we have to get back!"

As they cleared out of the area, the statue started glowing white. They didn't get very far before the statue flared white, sending its light everywhere.

'The Drought Stone,' Nate thought, 'makes the statue act like a beacon, signifying Groudon's ability, Drought. Instantly creates a clear sky, removing the fog.'

After the flash settled, so did the tremors. Martha and Corphish were looking around, confused.

"Hey, hey! The fog is gone!" Corphish said.

Martha noticed Nate, but he wasn't giving anything around them a second glance. He was looking up at the object that marked the goal of the expedition, Martha's hope for finding his "memories," and his and Grovyle's own mission.

"Martha…" Nate said at length. "I think you might want to take a look at this."

Martha followed his line of sight and her jaw went slack. Corphish soon followed suit and stood there surprised.

"Hey, hey! What is that?!" he shouted.

Martha said, as if thinking aloud, "That's what the fog was hiding. It's no wonder that no one ever discovered Fogbound Lake. We were just wandering in circles ourselves."

"Hey, hey! So you're saying… You're saying that Fogbound Lake is up there? Hey, hey, hey?!"

Martha nodded decisively, "Yes. That's what I think. Fogbound Lake _has_ to be up there!"

The place that the three members of the guild were looking at was a massive plateau mounted on a thinner spire of rock, seeming to be suspended in the air by that lone pillar. You could see traces of greenery creeping over the edges of the top, suggesting that plant life was up there. Water also streamed from the top into the very waterfalls that surrounded the trio.

"Hey, hey!" Corphish called, "This is no time to be gawking! I'll let everyone in the guild know! You two go on ahead!"

Corphish scuttled off to return to base camp, leaving Nate and Martha behind.

Martha turned to Nate, "We'd better get going, Ian! Onward to Fogbound Lake!"

"Hold it!"

Nate dropped to all fours. He knew that voice, and he didn't like it. He knew that they were being followed yesterday!

Team Skull ran out from behind one of the waterfalls. Martha gasped and took a step back. "Y-you brutes?!"

Zubat laughed, "Heh-heh-heh! We finally have you all alone!"

Koffing added, "Whoa-ho-ho! You stuck close with the guild until you went into the forest! We could've picked you off at any time, but the Chief had a stroke of genius!"

"Chaw-haw-haw! I'd like to thank you for solving the mystery of Fogbound Lake! Now we can take the treasure after getting our revenge!" Skuntank gave a mock bow.

Martha shook with anger, "You… You have no right to be here! And you were planning this all the way back when you wanted to join the expedition! We won't ever let you set foot near Fogbound Lake!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! Looks like the chicken's squawking mad!" Koffing jeered.

Skuntank smirked, "After we take you down, we're going to knock out the rest of the guild's crew and steal the treasure! Chaw-haw-haw!"

"Heh-heh-heh! But you two are on the top of our list! You should feel honored we'd give you special treatment!" Zubat finished.

Nate's cheeks sparked and he said, "You would've done better to attack when my electricity was dampened. We've grown even stronger since the last time, and we'll make you eat those words."

Skuntank scoffed. "Chaw-haw-haw! Last time you hid behind your allies! You were no match for me alone in a fight, and now you're outnumbered! We won't even need our noxious gas special combo!"

Nate looked to his side, "Martha, are you ready?"

Martha nodded, "Yes. I'll fight with you, Ian!"

"Good," Nate said. "I think I'll show Team Skull my new electric attack." He started charging concentrated electricity into his tail, getting ready to launch a Thunderbolt. At the same time, Team Skull started charging forward.

"Waah! Wait! Wait for me!"

All action was halted as a Perfect Apple rolled right into the middle of the would-be battlefield. Everyone was so caught off guard that the thoughts of the battle they were about to have were the farthest thing from their mind. Nate's electricity stopped and he looked to his left as Wigglytuff ran into the area, charging after his lost snack.

"Perfect Apple! Perfect Apple!" He ran in between all of them and picked the fruit up, "I finally caught you! My Perfect Apple!" He started sniffling, "If my Perfect Apple went away, I would… I would…"

After his brief reflection, he noticed where he was, "Oh? Oh-oh?" He looked at Nate and Martha, "Oh, you two!" After he turned and saw Team Skull, he shouted with glee, "And my friends too! You made it after all! Everyone's all together! Yay, yay!"

Seeing that Wigglytuff apparently had no clue that they were banned from the expedition, Skuntank decided to act like he and his team belonged there. He cleared his throat, regaining his bearings, "G-Guildmaster… What are you doing here?"

Wigglytuff tilted his head and then thought as he shifted to hold the Perfect Apple under one of his arms, "Huh? What am I doing? I was taking a walk in the forest. Then my Perfect Apple went rolling and rolling away from me. So I ran and ran and ran, and here I am." His ears perked up as he seemed to remember something, "Oh, yes!" He turned around and addressed Nate and Martha, "You two shouldn't be dawdling here, should you?"

That statement caught Martha by surprise, "Huh?"

Wigglytuff waved his free hand as he spoke, "You two have a job, don't you? To explore the forest, right? Go on then, off you go."

Martha glanced at Team Skull, "But…"

Wigglytuff pouted, "You don't want to listen to your Guildmaster? Boooo! Boooo!" Then he laughed and waved them off again, "Hurry, get exploring!"

Nate whispered to Martha, "There's really nothing we can do about this situation. I think it's best to just follow orders right now."

Martha didn't look happy about it, but she reluctantly agreed. She sighed, "Okay… Come on, let's go, Ian."

As they left, Wigglytuff called out to them, "Good luck." After they were gone, he hopped up and down excitedly, "Oh, I hope we get some good news soon!" He was so happy at the thought that he began to sing a little song as he danced.

Skuntank didn't want to waste time. They were supposed to get their revenge by sneaking onto this expedition! And now his targets were getting further and further away! He needed to turn this situation back into his favor.

"Um. Guildmaster…" He started.

Wigglytuff stopped singing and turned around, "Hm? What is it, friend?"

Skuntank said, "We were thinking that we should go explore as well…"

Wigglytuff looked shocked, "Oh?! That's all right! I can't trouble my friends like that! We'll let those two do the exploring. Let's wait for their report." Without missing a beat, Wigglytuff turned around and went back to his singing and dancing.

Zubat quietly fluttered closer to Skuntank and whispered, "Chief, this is getting really weird…"

"Team Rapid's going to get away and beat us to the prize if we don't do something," Koffing added in a low voice. "What'll we do?"

Skuntank cursed and muttered, "We have to do something. We have no choice. We'll take down Wigglytuff right now. Then, we'll chase down Team Rapid!"

Zubat murmured, "But do you think it'll be all right?"

Koffing glanced at Wigglytuff and spoke quietly, "Wigglytuff is, like, creepy."

Skuntank scoffed quietly, "Don't worry about it. He's no big deal. Besides… Rumor has it that Wigglytuff has an unbelievably precious treasure."

Zubat leaned closer, "Oh really?! Treasure?"

"That's right," Skuntank nodded. "I was planning on mugging him for it anyway, so this is a good opportunity. Hey, Koffing. Prepare for the noxious gas special combo."

Wigglytuff was still singing and dancing as Zubat flew back a distance and Skuntank and Koffing advanced forward.

Skuntank mumbled under his breath, "Wigglytuff is really going to get it! No hard feelings… But the great, famous explorer Wigglytuff… Is finished! Chaw-haw!"


	11. An Old Face

Chapter 11: An Old Face

Martha called out to Nate, "Oh! Ian, over there! I see a fissure in the stone spire! I think we can go in through there."

The two of them approached the fissure and took a step back as a wave of humid heat brushed against them. Nate walked to the side where the Kangaskhan Rock was and began updating their Adventure Log and organizing the Treasure Bag. As he did so, Martha stared at the entrance and the small geysers spewing steam.

Martha shook uncomfortably, "Is that steam? It's probably going to be really hot in there." But she shook it off and leaned forward, "But we didn't come all this way to be stopped by a little heat! I'm about to burst with anticipation, Ian! This is what I've always dreamed of! We're heading into a place that no one's ever gone before! I don't know what awaits us inside, or at the top, even, but that just makes my heart pound even harder!" She suddenly turned to Nate, "Let's go, Ian! Let's go inside and climb upward!"

Nate found himself caught up in Martha's excitement, even though he knew precisely what awaited them inside and at the top. He smiled and said, "Right!"

* * *

Back at the Groudon statue, Team Skull was still standing there. Unfortunately for them, Wigglytuff had turned around before they could make their move, and Skuntank stopped and started staring him down.

Zubat fluttered closer and whispered, "Psst… Hey, Chief! What's going on? Something wrong?"

"Chief…" Koffing murmured. "Hey, Chief… You've been staring him down for how long now…? C'mon… let's you and me give him a double dose of the ol' noxious gas…"

Skuntank didn't break eye-contact as he whispered back, "Shut your yap!"

Wigglytuff tilted his head, "Dear friends! What's wrong? You've been making such scary faces at me!"

Skuntank was unnerved by Wigglytuff's oblivious attitude, 'Bah… this guy's tough… really tough…'

Wigglytuff's face lit up, "I get it! You're trying to make me laugh with silly faces! I bet I can make you laugh too!" Wigglytuff grabbed his cheeks and started rubbing, kneading and pulling his face into different shapes, complete with incoherent blabbering, trying to make Team Skull laugh, but only succeeding in unnerving them further.

Koffing whispered shakily, "C'mon, Chief…! I can't take this… this whole weird scene is freaking me out…"

Skuntank nodded, "Okay, then… This isn't working, and we're out of options…" Raising his voice, he called out, "Hey, Wigglytuff!"

Right in the middle of pulling faces, Wigglytuff asked, "Whatiswhatiswhatis… What is it?"

Smirking, Skuntank said, "Hey, no hard feelings, but… You're going down! Take this! A noxious-gas special! Straight from me and Koffing!"

Both Skuntank and Koffing sprayed a foul gas at the same time, hitting Wigglytuff in the center and mixing the two gases together.

* * *

Nate sprung up from underground beneath a Slugma and sent it flying with Dig while Martha used Quick Attack to pin down a Yanma. As they moved further and further up the cavern, Nate grew more and more nervous. If they were to reach the end, he would have to pretend that he knew nothing about this place and most likely fight the guardian. He couldn't try to talk his way out of this, because the guardian would be able to tell he was lying, being a Psychic-type and all.

As he took down an Aerodactyl with Thunderbolt and went with Martha up another staircase, Nate decided to deal with that as he went.

Soon after, he and Martha reached a rest point where there was a Kangaskhan Rock. Nate took out the Adventure Log and wrote what had happened since they entered Foggy Forest. Right as he finished, Martha spoke up.

"We've been climbing for a while now…" Martha said. "It shouldn't be much farther until we get to the top."

Nate slid the book back into the statue's mouth and nodded. Before they could take a step forward, there was a distant noise. Martha's ears perked up and she looked around, "What was that…?"

The noise sounded again, this time a bit clearer, sounding like a distant roar coming from the way forward. While Martha thought about it, Nate was thinking, 'Now at the intimidation phase, are you, Spirit of Knowledge?' she said, "Ian, you're hearing that too, right?" She took a few steps toward the path forward and jumped back a bit as a much louder roar sounded.

"Whoa! Okay, it wasn't my imagination! But what could it be?" Martha wondered. "Well, whatever it is, we have to be brave! We can't stop now that we're nearly there, so let's go, Ian!"

Nate nodded. As they moved forward, he was internally pleased with Martha's bravery. Despite not knowing what could be ahead, she wants to continue on for the sake of exploring. 'It'll all mean nothing if she doesn't learn to stand on her own two feet, well, four paws, without me. Perhaps… if I can clearly explain… No. Any way you look at it, to a Pokémon that is from this peaceful time, my story will appear completely crazy. It would be best to remain silent for now. I'll tell her before I leave to meet up with Grovyle to search for the Hidden Land. On that note, I should ask Chatot if he's heard anything about the Hidden Land or if he knows someone who would.'

"Ian, you're lagging behind!" Martha called from a few meters ahead.

Looking up, Nate started walking faster. Shortly after he caught up, he and Martha arrived at the second half of the dungeon. Nate decided to put his worries aside for now and focus on helping Martha.

The two of them went through the dungeon, thankfully finding another Reviver Seed along the way. With what Nate knew was up ahead, it would be good to have some extra insurance.

The dungeon itself wasn't that difficult. It had some tedious enemies to take down, like the defensive Shuckle and the tough Granbull. Despite the challenge, Nate and Martha were strong enough to take down any ordinary enemies.

On the way, Nate found another TM that would help him against what lie ahead. Using it, he learned Focus Punch.

As Team Rapid reached the topmost level of the Steam Cave, they entered a rocky antechamber made of a lighter stone than the rest of the cave. There was a path forward, but it was hard to see what was ahead, since the light outside was dimming.

Martha let out a whistle, "Wow, we've climbed quite high!" Then the furry ruff on her neck ruffled as she looked around nervously, "Wait, this place… It feels… strange somehow… The very air itself is charged with tension! It's making my skin crawl… and I feel like we're in great danger…"

As if to emphasize her point, a flash of light appeared from up ahead before a massive roar filled the cavern. Martha jumped back and said, "It's that sound we heard earlier, Ian! I thought it might be a roar, and it is!"

Another roar sounded and then there were quaking footsteps that made the room shake. Nate looked up ahead and said, "It's coming…"

* * *

"Hey, hey, hey! Check this out, everyone!"

As the sun started dipping below the horizon outside, back at the Groudon statue, the members of the guild started running into the clearing. Chatot looked at the statue, "This is it? The Groudon statue?"

Sunflora looked around, "Oh! But there's no one else here!"

Chatot turned to Corphish, "Are you really sure that you saw the Guildmaster, Corphish?"

"Sure, I'm sure!" Corphish nodded, "I saw him when I was scuttling back to base camp. The Guildmaster dashed past, all willy-nilly, in hot pursuit of a Perfect Apple! I gave him a shout and a wave, but he seemed too occupied to holler back." He shook his head, "But I'd guess that Ian and Martha went ahead. So I'd bet that the Guildmaster went up after them, don't you think?"

Before Chatot could answer, the ground started quaking. Diglett was the first to feel it, and Bidoof confirmed that it wasn't his imagination. Then, far in the distance, a roar could barely be heard.

Chimecho looked around, "What… whatever could that be?!"

"What an uproar! Is it maybe…?" Loudred wondered.

Corphish pointed at the mounted plateau and said, "Something is going on up there! Let's head up! Hurry!"

The guild members started making their way, but Diglett stopped, causing Dugtrio to stop as well. As he looked to one of the waterfalls, Diglett asked, "Hey, Dad! Did you hear something right over there? Like moaning and groaning?"

Dugtrio shook his head without looking back, "Oh you just imagined it! Now, let's hurry!"

"Yep!"

The two left the area, following after the rest of the crew. Unknown to them, there was indeed someone behind the waterfall. Team Skull lay in a bruised and battered heap, groaning in pain and wishing that they were unconscious.

"I'm d-d-deflated!" Koffing groaned. "I can't move!"

"Hork-ork-how did that happen?" Skuntank moaned. "How did Wigglytuff shrug off our noxious-gas special like it was nothing?"

"And h-h-how did Wigglytuff strike back at us…" Zubat shuddered. "It's un-believable…"

Team Skull wallowed in their pain as they tried to rest enough to move.

* * *

As the mountainous footsteps continued, a pair of glowing yellow eyes could be seen in the shadows of the way forward. Martha trembled, "Wh-what is that?!"

The giant figure stepped out of the shadows revealing itself to be the splitting image of the statue that led them here. Martha spoke, "That Pokémon… really exists? I-it's a-"

She jumped as the giant Pokémon cut her off with a roar. Afterwards, the Pokémon growled and said, "YOU! YOU HAVE COME TO DESECRATE THIS PLACE? DEPART NOW!"

"B-b-but… W-w-we only want to go to Fogbound Lake!" Martha managed to stutter out.

Nate mentally shook his head, 'Poor choice of words, Martha…'

"WHAT?! FOGBOUND LAKE?! I AM THE GUARDIAN OF FOGBOUND LAKE! I AM GROUDON!" it snarled. "YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE HERE ALIVE, INTRUDERS!"

Martha yelped as Groudon let out another roar.

* * *

The rest of the guild apprentices and Chatot arrived at the base of the spire that allowed entrance into the Steam Cave.

"Hey, hey! There's the way in!" Corphish shouted as he pointed with his claw.

"Let's HURRY!" Loudred added.

The guild went through the dungeon as one large group, restricting their mobility, but allowing them to make quick work of any Pokémon that got in their way.

As Corphish scuttled along, he fell into step next to Chatot, who was flying a foot off the ground. "H…hey…Chatot! Can I ask you something while we're running? Chatot, do you know about a Pokémon called Groudon?"

Chatot spoke without turning towards Corphish, choosing to focus on the path ahead, "Well, of course! Just what do you take me for? I'm only the head of intelligence for the guild! Squawk! Groudon is a legendary Pokémon spoken of in myths passed down through generations."

"A legendary Pokémon?" Corphish asked.

"Correct," Chatot replied. "The myths say that he raised land from the sea. And that he build up the continents!"

Corphish whistled, "Hoo-boy! That explains why the statue was so big!" Then a thought occurred to him, "What if you were to face Groudon in battle? What would happen?"

This time Chatot did turn to face Corphish with an incredulous expression on his face, "Battle?! Out of the question! Squawk! If anyone were foolish enough to face Groudon in a battle… Well, it would be like throwing your life away! He is that strong! Like all legendary Pokémon!"

* * *

Groudon let out another roar and Martha muttered, "I'm scared…" But then she took a deep breath and steeled herself, "But it's time to be brave! I need to stand up to this! We can't just run away now, Ian!"

"Well spoken," Nate replied.

"PREPARE FOR MY WRATH! GRROOOOOOH!"

Quick as a thought, Nate took an X-Eye Seed out of the Treasure Bag and threw it at Groudon's face. It burst into yellow gas and the Groudon let out a frustrated roar as its vision was muddled. Nate turned to Martha and tossed her a Violent Seed, "Split up to confuse it! It's much larger, but that means it has much larger blind spots!"

As Martha caught the Violent Seed in her mouth and crunched down on it, she put a paw on Nate and powered him up with Helping Hand. After that, the two split up and each went around a different side of Groudon, both of them glowing with their own colored aura.

Martha's Power Band glowed as she dashed straight up Groudon's side with Quick Attack and rammed it in the head with Tackle. Groudon started teetering to the side before standing properly again, but Martha jumped back to the ground before it could counter. Regardless, she had a dull, throbbing pain in her head. 'That is some hard armor… this will take a while. Still… for a legendary, it was pretty easy to knock it off balance.'

Nate was burrowed underground and biding his time as he charged a move. After he was done, he started moving back above ground where he could hear the Groudon's heavy footsteps. After he broke the surface, Nate rocketed upwards from the force of his glowing blue fist and hit Groudon in the chin with Focus Punch. This time, Groudon was knocked backwards, but it caught itself with its tail and pushed itself back to an upright position.

As it righted itself, its vision cleared and it swiped with one of its massive clawed hands at a surprising speed. Nate pushed Martha out of the way and took it himself, being knocked back to the ground before rolling and standing on all fours again. The only wound he had to show for it was a bruise on his side. As Groudon fired a Mud Shot, Nate burrowed back underground.

Meanwhile, Martha charged forward again, more suspicious than ever. 'Ian just got slashed with claws as big as himself, and he just gets some bruising…? Something fishy's going on.'

Despite the Groudon's solid armor, it was surprisingly frail and started teetering after a few more rounds of hits from Nate and Martha. Soon, it was panting near the passage at the rear.

Groudon roared weakly, "GRROOOoooh… oooooh…" The cave rumbled as it let out one last roar, "GRROOOOOOH!" After that, Groudon fell to the ground.

Martha was breathing heavily before she jumped for joy, "We did it! We actually defeated Groudon! But… is it really…?"

As the Groudon's body flared bright yellow and disappeared in a flash of light, Nate thought, 'No. The real guardian should be due to show himself now.'

Martha was shocked when Groudon vanished and even more so when a new voice echoed in the cave.

"That was… That was not Groudon. That Groudon was nothing more than an illusion that I conjured."

Martha looked around and Nate stood passively. She said, "Who… who said that?"

There was another flash of light around the room, signifying great power, as the voice spoke again, "Like I said earlier, I am the guardian here. And I cannot allow you to pass."

Nate decided to let Martha do the talking since she and the rest of the guild were perfectly innocent in their pursuits. In this one time, they might actually be in more trouble if he tried to cover for them. As Martha spoke, he did his best to keep his face schooled into the proper expressions and even clamp down on his mind. You could never be too careful with Psychic-types, after all.

"W-wait, please!" Martha pleaded. "We don't mean to cause any trouble! We came only to get a little information! Th-that's all!"

"Information, you say?" the voice inquired.

"We're telling the total truth!" Then her face faltered a bit, "Well, the totally total truth is that we're an exploration team… And we really would love to leave with a treasure after all this work! But we don't want any if that's going to cause trouble! We'll be satisfied to say that we just made it this far! Oh, please! You simply must believe me!"

The voice pondered before speaking. "Hmm… Well… Okay, I believe you."

There was another flash of light and then an orb of bright yellow light appeared before it faded to reveal a small gray Pokémon with two tails. The majority of its head was colored yellow with a red gem in his forehead. Despite its eyes being closed, it addressed them as if it could see them perfectly.

"Let me welcome you, then. I am Uxie, the guardian of Fogbound Lake."

Martha's jaw dropped, "P-pardon?! Did you say Uxie?!"

Uxie nodded, "Yes, truly. I stand guard over something special… that lies in Fogbound Lake. Now, let me escort you to Fogbound Lake." He waved for them to follow him as he turned, "Please, come this way."

Martha followed, and Nate followed behind Martha, all the while keeping an iron grip to not have any stray thoughts about his mission.

As they reached a rocky outcropping the sky was visible up above. The sun had long since set and the moon and stars were out. Martha noted this, and Uxie floated to the end of the outcropping and turned around, addressing Nate and Martha, "It may be a little difficult to see at night, but… Behold! Fogbound Lake!"

"Wow!" Martha was astonished by the mystical view. The water reflecting the moonlight and the light of several Illumise and Volbeat flying over the water. Another blue-green glow emanated from the center of the lake and added to the lake's beauty. Martha looked out over the whole lake, "It's so very incredible! Who would have guessed that a big lake could be high up on this plateau! And just look at those fluttering Volbeat and Illumise… This couldn't be more dazzling!"

The sentiment was somewhat lost on Nate. Yes it was quite a sight, but he couldn't stop staring at the glow at the center of the lake.

Uxie explained, "Water constantly wells up from far below this place. It flows so heavily that it has long formed this enormous lake. Now cast your eyes to the glowing area at the lake's center."

Nate was already looking and Martha nodded, "Sure, I can see it! The bluish green radiance, right?"

"Step forward for a closer look," Uxie said.

Nate and Martha did so, standing on either side of Uxie, and under the still waters, they could see a glowing gear that was giving off a bright blue radiance that mixed with the green light of the glowing patterns surrounding it. Nate was fascinated. He had never seen a Time Gear in person before. There was no way that it could be anything else.

Nate's hand that was facing away from Uxie and Martha tightened into a fist. He had to calm himself. Every instinct he ever had was telling him to try taking the Time Gear while he had the chance. But all that would accomplish would be blowing his cover. He had to calm himself. If he acted too anxious, Uxie might pick up on it.

Martha had no need to be reserved. "That's fantastic! But… What is that? Oooh… It seems so mystical!"

"That is… a Time Gear," Uxie replied.

Martha turned to Uxie, "What?! Really and truly?! That's a Time Gear?!"

Uxie nodded, "Yes. I guard the Time Gear. It's the sole reason I'm here."

Nate and Martha took a step back as Uxie turned around. "Others before you have tried to trespass here. But I used my Groudon illusion to chase most of them off."

Tilting her head, Martha asked, "Groudon? How'd you do that?"

"That is something I create using my psychic abilities. Like so…" Uxie turned his closed eyes to an area behind and to the left of Nate and Martha. Within a matter of seconds, a perfect replica of Groudon appeared. Martha was startled and backed away, but Nate wasn't scared. Even before getting here, he knew it was an illusion.

Uxie waved his hand towards Martha, "There is no need to be startled. As I've said, it's just an illusion. What you fought was nothing more than that."

"Huh. That right?" Nate said, so that he wouldn't seem suspicious by being too quiet.

Nodding, Uxie continued, "There have been others before who defeated my Groudon illusion. They managed to make their way to this spot. But they were trespassers! So I took away their memories… And, thus, protected the lake."

Martha tilted her head, "Took away their memories…? Oh, I almost forgot! We want to ask you something, Uxie." She walked up to Nate's side and said, "Allow me to introduce my partner, Ian. I found him one day, and he had lost all of his memories. So, if we may ask… have you met Ian here before, Uxie? And did you take away his memory, perhaps? Has a Pikachu ever come here before? Do you recall?"

"The answer is… no." Uxie shook his head. "No Pikachu has ever come here. I should explain further… I erase only memories of Fogbound Lake. I cannot fully erase all memories from living beings. I had nothing to do with your friend's memory loss. The cause lies elsewhere."

Nate did his best to look as disappointed as Martha. But it seemed that Uxie couldn't readily read minds if he didn't figure out that Nate had never had amnesia to begin with. 'Perhaps he can only read the memories of those he comes in eye-contact with.'

Martha sighed, "Oh, well… thanks anyway." She turned to Nate curiously, "So I guess that you haven't been here after all, Ian. It seems that this path was a dead end after-" She stopped as she heard singing coming from behind them. "Uh, what's that?"

Soon, the voice stopped singing and spoke, "A Time Gear! A Time Gear! Well, too bad!" The trio turned and looked as Wigglytuff came into the area from the passage to Steam Cave. He shook his head, "We can't take a Time Gear."

Martha was shocked, "W-Wigglytuff!"

Wigglytuff walked past Nate and Martha and looked out over the lake. "Wow! Fantastic!"

Uxie looked at Wigglytuff and said, "And who might this be?"

"Our Guildmaster," Nate replied.

Wigglytuff enthusiastically greeted Uxie and even the Groudon illusion, calling them both "Friend". Then he turned back to the lake and said, "Gaze upon this amazing view! I'm delighted we came!" Wigglytuff started singing a song again.

* * *

Soon, the rest of the Guild arrived at the top of Steam Cave and continued through the antechamber to reach the open air. Sunflora sighed in relief, "Whew! Here we are at last!"

"No time to catch our breath," Dugtrio reminded. "We've got to hurry!"

Corphish pointed, "Hey, hey! Someone's over there!"

"Let's go!" Chatot said in response.

They moved forward, but once they got close to the shore of the lake, they stopped short at seeing the massive Pokémon, Groudon. Chatot let out a squawk of surprise, and Loudred started stuttering, "Gr-Gr-Gr-"

Sunflora cried out, "It's Groudon! Spit it out!"

Chimecho dinged in fear and Corphish cried out, "Don't eat me! I'm not tasty!"

As the members of the guild were panicking, Wigglytuff came towards them, completely disregarding the still-motionless Groudon. "Hellow to one and all! So what's wrong?"

"G-G-Guildmaster!" Chatot stuttered.

Wigglytuff waved for them to come forward, "Oh, never mind that! Everyone, look out there! It's spouting!" He turned around to look, "Pretty! Pretty!"

Everybody stared at him dumbfounded before turning to look at the lake as well. After being stunned by the sight for a bit, they moved forward to get a better look.

In the center of the lake, a geyser was spouting, catching the light of the Time Gear and the glows of the Illumise and Volbeat, making for a multicolored, shimmering tower of water that cascaded glowing mist back down over the rest of the lake.

"Oh, my!" Chimecho exclaimed. "So shimmering!"

Bidoof nodded, "Yup yup! Some kind of pretty!"

"Yes, the lake geyser erupts every now and then," Uxie explained. "It sends up water, just like a fountain… And the Time Gear sends up an illumination from below… While many Illumise and Volbeat glow upon the fountain of water… In harmony, they are the very vision of beauty!"

"The treasure!" Wigglytuff said. "The treasure… must be the view of Fogbound Lake!"

Nate conceded that it was quite a sight, but the centerpiece would have to be taken for a greater cause. Knowing that somewhat spoiled the effect for him. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Martha suddenly spoke up next to him.

"Are you taking in this view, Ian? This is so magical! It's a shame that we didn't learn anything about your past, Ian. But I'm glad we came!" Martha nodded, "I'm happy that I was able to share such a beautiful moment with everyone! I just couldn't be happier!"

'… Martha, don't ever change. Even after I'm gone, just stay your cheerful, pure, naïve self.' Nate hoped as he turned to her. But out loud, he said, "I'm glad too. This is the sort of thing that you've dreamed of, isn't it? I'm happy for you."

Martha tilted her head at Nate's somber tone, "Ian, are you feeling okay?"

Nate turned back to the lake, he responded cryptically, "Just thinking about what the future might hold for us."

* * *

As the members of the guild got ready to leave, Wigglytuff waved to Uxie, "So sorry to have disturbed you! Had a fantastic time, Friend!"

Uxie bowed his head slightly, "I shall not take away your memories of this place. You have earned my trust. But I must ask that you keep this place a secret."

Wigglytuff nodded, "Surely! Thank you! We all know what we need to do! You know, another Time Gear has been stolen. This one must stay safe! We won't ever say a word about this place! I swear it in the name of Wigglytuff's Guild!"

"Please hold true to that promise," Uxie replied.

"Okay! Let's be on our way!" Wigglytuff turned back to the guild apprentices and said, "Chatot, if you will!"

"I'll hop to it, Guildmaster!" Chatot affirmed. As everyone turned to him, he said, "Everyone, we're going back to the guild!"

"HOORAY!"

* * *

Upon arrival back to the Guild the following day, everybody went to sleep that night after dinner, tired from the journey. When they got back, Nate noticed that the Treasure Bag had grown again, and Martha was glad for that.

The next day, Nate woke up with the sun again and roused Martha out of her own sleep. By now, she had gotten more used to waking up early for the sake of avoiding Nate's electric shocks. They promptly reported to the morning address, returning to their standard guild training schedule.

After the morning cheers, and being dismissed by Chatot, Martha turned to Nate and enthusiastically said, "I imagine that it's time to get back to our guild training, Ian! Let's work hard at it!"

"Now that's what I like to see!" Chatot chimed in. "A lot of morning pep! Impressive! Let's see you put that pep to good use today!"

"WHAT?! You can't identify the footprint?!" Loudred's shout made all three of them jump and turn their attention to the sentry post. Loudred continued shouting down the hole leading to the post, "What do you MEAN?!"

Diglett's smaller voice echoed back up, "I'm trying to tell you! I can't identify what I don't know…"

Chatot, Nate and Martha made their way over and Chatot asked, "What's wrong?"

"We have a Pokémon visitor up top whose footprint we can't identify!" Loudred replied. "Diglett is an outstanding sentry. So it's rare for him to be stumped by footprints!" He glanced pointedly at Nate and Martha, "If THOSE two were doing sentry duty, that'd be now shocker…"

Martha fumed slightly, "Okay, first, we've yet to mess up a single identification. Second, it's not the first time that Diglett's not known a footprint. What about when we first arrived at the guild? You guys couldn't figure out Ian's footprint. Right, Ian? …Ian?"

While Nate was glad that Martha didn't explode at the jibe, what she said specifically got him thinking. 'Couldn't identify my footprint… Because I had just arrived from… But unless it's Grovyle, who else could it…? Oh, dear Arceus, no… it can't be…!'

Before Martha could get Nate's attention again, Diglett spoke up again, as if talking with the visitor, "Hmmm? … Say again? You want to meet our Guildmaster? Your name is… Dusknoir?! Oh! Please wait just a moment!"

Loudred, Chatot and Nate had shocked expressions on their faces. Chatot stuttered, "Dus… Dusknoir?!"

"The world-famous Dusknoir?!" Loudred added.

Nate, while his face looked as shocked as Chatot and Loudred's, didn't have the shock of meeting a celebrity. He had the shock of meeting someone he didn't want to encounter. Martha turned to him confused, "Ian, have you heard about this Dusknoir?"

Remembering where he was, Nate put on his best "Ian" face and said with a puzzled expression, "Well, I heard the name once or twice when I was gathering tips for our first outlaw," he fibbed, "but nothing really concrete. People seem to hold him in high respect, though. Perhaps today I'll find out exactly why…"

Martha tilted her head and looked as everybody, even Wigglytuff, gathered around the ladder. Soon, a Dusknoir floated down the ladder and greeted Wigglytuff and Chatot.

"Thank you for visiting!" Wigglytuff replied. "What an honor!"

Dusknoir shook his head, "No, no! Think nothing of it! The honor is all mine! There is no greater pleasure than visiting Wigglytuff's Guild! It's famous!"

Martha looked at Nate, who was extremely poker-faced as he looked at Dusknoir. Then she turned to Loudred, "Tell me, Loudred…"

"What do you want?" Loudred asked without turning around.

"Who exactly is Dusknoir?" Martha asked.

Loudred, along with Sunflora and Bidoof who was standing next to him, turned around and Loudred shouted, "WHAT?! You haven't heard of Dusknoir?! The famous explorer?!"

Martha jumped back slightly at the sudden outburst, "W-well… No, I haven't…" Unnoticed by Martha and the other three, Nate had turned his attention to the conversation, even though he was still looking at Dusknoir.

Sunflora waved her leaf hand, "That's not surprising, really! He's a new arrival on the scene! He came out of nowhere! Like a comet! He became famous almost overnight! They say his talents as an explorer are superexceptional!"

Martha's eyes widened slightly in interest, "Really?"

Loudred nodded, "Yeah! Here's some more good stuff that I heard! He does things unlike anyone else! First he doesn't work in a team. He does all his exploring solo. He's got to be pretty sure of his skills to do that! But what's even more incredible? His wealth of knowledge! It seems like there's nothing in the world he doesn't know! That's how much he knows!"

Martha was shocked, "Oh, wow! So, he's really that knowledgeable?"

Sunflora nodded, "So the rumor goes! But he has used his knowledge to succeed on many explorations so far! So many Pokémon revere Dusknoir for his achievements… That's how I know the claims about his mighty knowledge must be true!"

Nate had heard all he needed to and didn't really care to hear anything else about Dusknoir's alleged achievements, so he tuned out the rest of the conversation. 'He followed us… Even here, Grovyle. Okay, calm down, Nate. He can't recognize you in this form. You're even using an alias. Even if Martha introduces you, it'll be as "Ian." And how would he be a threat to the "world-famous" Dusknoir? After all, "Ian" is just an amnesiac apprentice to Wigglytuff's Guild. I need to warn Grovyle, though, somehow…'

* * *

**Sheeee–oot! I'm so sorry that this took forever and a half! Two months (and four days)! I had a new idea, then I had finals, and then I was recovering from fried brain, and then I had ****_another_**** new idea! I'm going to devote more time to writing this to try and finish it before my summer school starts in the second half.**

**-AJ 203**


	12. Acting Natural

Chapter 12: Acting Natural

Dusknoir nodded, "I see. Well, that must have been quite a disappointment for your guild!"

"Yes, that expedition was a waste of time," Wigglytuff said. "Didn't learn a thing about anything!"

Dusknoir crossed his arms, "I had heard that Wigglytuff's Guild was mounting an expedition to find Fogbound Lake. I came here hoping to hear about your latest triumph…"

Wigglytuff waved his hand, "Sorry! We didn't learn a thing!"

"Not at all!" Dusknoir said, shaking his head. "It's no trouble to me! This gave me an opportunity to visit you! I plan to stay in Treasure Town for a short while. May I visit you occasionally during my stay? Your guild constantly receives the latest news. Good information would be a big help on my explorations!"

"No problem!" Wigglytuff grinned. "Other exploration teams visit us all the time. You're always welcome here!" Then he turned to address the rest of the Guild, "Everyone! This is Dusknoir! He's going to stay in Treasure Town for a while. Mind yourself around him! Dusknoir is very famous and quite knowledgable… So I bet everyone would like to get advice from him! But let's not overdo it! We don't want to be a nuisance!"

Chatot continued in a warning tone, "Now, everyone, our guest might be famous… But don't embarrass us by asking him for autographs!"

"No, no!" Dusknoir chimed in. "If it's autographs you want, I'm sure that I can oblige. But… information? I'm afraid you flatter me. I have very little information. However, I would be delighted if I may be of service to you. If there is anything you wish to ask of me, please don't hesitate."

As everybody cheered, Nate was smiling on the outside and internally seething. 'I can't ask anything about the Relic Fragment with _him_ around. If Chatot can't answer, he'll either direct us to Dusknoir or Martha will get the idea to ask herself. I'll have to move _very_ carefully. Thank goodness I swore Martha to secrecy about my Dimensional Scream and gave an alias.'

"Come now, everyone!" Chatot's voice cut into Nate's thoughts. "You're dismissed!"

As everybody moved back to their conversations, Nate thought about the cover that Dusknoir was using. 'Much easier to earn acclaim as a famous explorer with knowledge from the future. Were it not for what we had to do, Grovyle and I could've possibly used that as our cover. Still… all this deception that I've had to employ… am I really much better than Dusknoir?'

Nate shook his head. 'It's what has to be done. If I came clean, especially now, it would be dismissed. Especially if Dusknoir disputed it with his own story. It would be very easy to paint us in a bad light, since everybody fears tampering with the Time Gears.'

Martha noticed Nate's ruminating and was about to ask him about it, but Chatot cut in, "Oh! You two!"

Nate perked up and slipped back into character, "Yes, Chatot?"

"I'd started saying earlier, about your assignment for today… Today I want you to read over the Job Bulletin Board and the Outlaw Notice Board and take some of the listed jobs. That will do!"

Nate nodded, "Got it." He left to go up the ladder and after a pause, Martha followed. By the time she arrived at the top, Nate was already looking at the Job Bulletin Board. He seemed to give them only a cursory glance before picking two.

"These two are for Apple Woods; one rescue and one escort," Nate said once he sensed Martha's presence beside him. "That's good since we can go looking for that Grass-type we need for the team."

"Ian," Martha said.

"Now we should probably take one of the others with us for support," Nate continued. "Maribel is stronger, but then Regina could use the experience more, so-"

"Ian!" Martha called louder. "What's wrong? You've been acting odd since Dusknoir came to visit."

Nate stared at Martha for a bit, and then he shook his head clear. She was right. Dusknoir's very presence was making him nervous and making him make all sorts of rookie mistakes. But Martha couldn't know the real reason.

"I guess…" Nate started, "seeing such a world famous explorer makes me want to try that much harder. I want to make a good impression, after all."

Martha shook her head with a smile, "Ian, you don't have to worry about looking good to someone like Dusknoir. Who's the one that taught me to take things one step at a time? We've come a long way in a short time. Silver Rank in a little under a month along with being allowed to go on the expedition? We're doing fine as we are, so don't worry!"

Nate was briefly stunned at Martha's confidence in their growth. He was sure that if Martha were the same as in the past, she would've been just as nervous as he was pretending to be. Internally he chuckled, 'I feel like an elderly mentor watching his pupil grow. I suppose her abilities as an explorer will be my legacy.'

Going back into the conversation as Ian, Nate smiled and said, "You know what? You're right, Martha. I wasn't acting like myself. I'm all better now, so let's get back to doing what we do best!"

Martha nodded and said, "Right! So let's meet up with Psymon, Maribel and Regina at Spinda Café!"

Once they arrived, Nate and Martha were welcomed back by the others and asked how the expedition went. Martha waved the question away, "We'll tell you what happened later, after our missions for today. Ian, if you would?"

Nate nodded and read the two mission statements. One Shroomish, an apothecary by profession, was meeting a Venemoth to make a deal. Some Venemoth dust scales for a stomach remedy for the Venemoth's friend. The apothecary was understandably not much of a fighter, so he needed escorts to protect him and his cargo. The other was a Cubone that needed her friend to be rescued from Apple Woods. She had written that she'd go herself, but since she's a Ground-type, it would be near impossible for her.

"Those are our two missions for today," Nate explained. "The escorted will be meeting with Venemoth at the seventh floor, and he's offered – I calculated our share already – 300 Poké, among other things for safe passage. The tenth floor is where we'll find our rescue target, a female Nidoran that goes by Natalie. Also, I feel that this would be a good time to recruit a Grass-type Pokémon from Apple Woods, so we should consider that an extra mission."

"Right!" the three recruits replied.

Martha chimed in, "Ideally, it would be best to take both of you, Maribel and Regina, on these missions, but since we have to make room for the escort client, one of you will have to stay behind for now."

Maribel held up her wing as she faced Regina, "I went along on the last three-member mission. If you want, you can have this one."

Regina nodded as her three faces spoke in unison, "It would be our honor. We thank thee."

The trio bid Psymon and Maribel farewell as they left to supply themselves for the day's missions.

* * *

As the sunlight shined down on the trees of the Apple Woods, Team Rapid was making their way down the dungeon with their client in tow. Despite being nervous about her presence at first, Regina guarded him very closely against all of the other Bug-type Pokémon as well as the occasional Grass-type.

In due time, the Shroomish was escorted to his customer and the trade was made before they both left the dungeon, Shroomish promising to stop by the guild with their reward. With that settled, the now trio continued on to complete their other mission.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the tenth level of the dungeon, there was the sound of light footsteps running through with heavy thudding steps following. As the two owners of the steps came into view, a female Nidoran was revealed to be trying to run from an Exeggutor. She had gotten a head start, but the tree-like Pokémon was able to catch up with his longer stride. And as if that wasn't enough, the young Pokémon tripped and fell. Allowing the Exeggutor to stop running and take his time to catch up.

The Nidoran tried to get up, but she was paralyzed with fear. All she had wanted was to get a present for her friend, and now she was lost and . She closed her eyes, getting ready to try and endure whatever pain might be coming. But as the Exeggutor got closer, another figure tackled him from the side and latched on.

"Leave the little girl alone!" the new voice shouted. "Haven'tcha got any damn manners?!"

The Nidoran looked up and saw a Paras latched onto the side of the tall Pokémon. Exeggutor was trying to shake the Paras off by waving back and forth, but he sunk his claws in and then bit into the bark-like skin. The front coconut shouted in pain as yellow paths of energy traveled from his body to the biting point. Soon, the Exeggutor passed out from exhaustion, the Leech Life move having done its job. He jumped off the unconscious body and kept his eyes on it as he backed away. Now that she could see his back, the Nidoran noticed a massive diagonal scar across the Paras' carapace-like exoskeleton, between the mushrooms.

"Whatcha doing here, kid? Don'tcha know it's dangerous in mystery dungeons?" the Paras asked after he turned back around.

The Nidoran replied at length, "You… saved me." She took a closer look, but didn't see an Explorer Badge. "But… you're not an exploration team member…"

The Paras seemed miffed, "I don't need to be on an exploration team to help, do I? A simple 'thank you' would be fine."

Another voice spoke up, "You're quite right." The two Pokémon turned and saw Team Rapid nearby. Martha continued, "Thank you for protecting her before we got here. Natalie, your friend put up a mission request to find you. And you," Martha turned to the Paras, "I like your style. You seem pretty strong too. We don't have a Grass-type yet, would you please join our team?"

"No." The Paras turned away, "I've seen enough of exploration teams. All of you are just looking for a way to earn quick money." Martha was stunned by his response and he started turning to leave.

"That seems like an awfully unfair generalization."

The Paras stopped and the other Pokémon looked to see that Nate had a cross expression on his face. "Ian," Martha started, "if he doesn't want to join, there's not much we-"

"That's one thing. Insulting our team along with other exploration teams is another." Nate countered. Later, he would realize that he had called it "our" team again and berate himself for emotionally attaching himself.

Turning back around, the Paras glared at Nate, "Care to elaborate on how I'm wrong?"

"I'm not saying you're wrong about all exploration teams," Nate granted. "I can certainly think of three Pokémon off the top of my head that only want money from this line of work. But to say that about all exploration teams…" Nate looked at the scar on the Paras' back, "I'd bet that you've had a negative experience with your first exploration team." When he took a step back in surprise, Nate continued, "Or maybe you were disillusioned when you found out that your teammates didn't share your noble intentions."

The Paras scuttled forward angrily and prodded Nate in the stomach with his front claw, "Listen you! You don't know me!"

Nate wasn't fazed, "I know that you and I are two of a kind. We'd both give everything to protect those in danger." Nate's eyes turned to the still unconscious Exeggutor, "You didn't _have_ to step in, but you did. I don't think that all of your heroic impulses have abandoned you yet. If there was ever a time that you would have the opportunity to act on them, it would be with this team."

The Paras was strangely quiet as he stared at Nate. At length, he said, "You… I don't like the way you talk. Fine, if you think this team can prove me wrong, I'll bite. The name's Augustus, former member of Team Spore."

Martha, who was occupied before with watching the two of them go back and forth, spoke up, "Um, okay, welcome to Team Rapid." She turned to Natalie as Augustus received his badge, "Sorry for the delay, we'll get you back to your friend right away."

Even as Martha said that, she was still staring at Nate. 'How did he read Augustus so easily…? And he was able to convince someone who hates exploration teams to give us a chance? This is just like when he told me about good and evil.' Not for the first time, Martha wondered, 'Ian, just who_are_ you?'

* * *

Once Team Rapid returned to the guild with Augustus and Natalie in tow, Regina left for the day while Augustus left to confirm with Chimecho about his joining Team Rapid before leaving as well. Martha and Nate waited on the mission floor until their clients arrived. Shroomish arrived first, and he handed them a bag of money – their cut had already been separated and left in the bag – with a smaller bag next to it.

Leaning forward, he whispered with a wink, "I've heard that this place takes a majority of Poké rewards offered, but there's no such rule against items is there? That gift should sell for a pretty Poké." After that, he left with a spring in his step.

As they waited for their next client, Nate took a look in the smaller bag and found a Gold Ribbon.

Soon after, the Cubone that had filed the job request came down the ladder to pick up Natalie. The first thing that she did when she arrived was grab Natalie by the ear and scold her.

"What'd I tell you 'bout wandering off on yer own? 'Specially into a mystery dungeon, and _'specially_ 'specially a mystery dungeon I can't follow you into." The Cubone shook her head as Natalie endured the scolding along with the ear-grabbing.

"I just wanted to find you a present, to thank you for looking after me all this time," Natalie protested. "Mystery dungeons have tons of stuff all over the place."

Letting go of her ear, the Cubone said, "We'll talk later." After that, she turned to Nate and Martha, "Thank y'all for finding my friend. She's like a lil' sister to me. 'Fraid I can't offer much in the way of money, but I can offer my help, if you'll have me."

Martha and Nate looked at each other. They didn't have a Ground-type as of yet, and while they weren't really in the market for one right now it would be good to have one. Half of their team right now was weak to electricity.

After nodding to each other, the two turned back to their client and Martha said, "All right, we'll gladly accept your offer to join our team. Do you already have a name?"

The Cubone nodded, "Tisha."

Nate nodded and finished, "Welcome to Team Rapid, Tisha. If you'll look to your left, you can confirm your joining our team with Chimecho."

Tisha nodded and went to talk with Chimecho as Natalie followed. She said, "You'll be coming all the way over here for working every day? What'll I do all day?"

"We're gonna find a place to live closer to Treasure Town." Then as she stopped at Chimecho's desk, she pointed at Natalie sternly with her bone club, "And I'm doing this cuz if you're in trouble, I wanna be the first to know about it. Also, I had to find a job at some point, if we're gonna count on something b'sides me going into mystery dungeons and hoping I find some food."

As Nate and Martha watched, Nate commented, "Quite a menagerie of recruits we're gathering."

Martha couldn't disagree. On their team was someone set to be an example contrary to a belief of his species, a descendant of a long line of explorers, one with hopes of becoming a queen among her kind, and now one that hates exploration teams and another whose primary concern is providing for her adoptive sister.

Martha simply nodded, "A diverse bunch can be a good thing."

Nate agreed with the sentiment, but was reminding himself to be cautious around Augustus. '"I don't like the way you speak…" Seems that he's dealt with some deceitful Pokémon before, and he seems rather suspicious of me. He has zero evidence to make any accusations, but he'll be watching me closely. Still, after I'm gone, that'll be just as well, since it means the team won't be so easily tricked with him around.'

The rest of the evening passed on in peace as the Pokémon of the guild had dinner that night and went to sleep.

* * *

As everybody in the guild slept, a trio skulked in the shadows dancing in the lit torches flanking the entrance. Team Skull stood well away from the door of Wigglytuff's Guild as they talked in hushed tones.

"Ch-Ch-Chief…" Zubat began nervously, "We were really put in our place on that expedition…"

"Chaw-haw-haw… Wigglytuff wrecked us…" Skuntank growled. "And I'm not about to let it go! So humiliating! I need payback… one way or another." He sighed bitterly, "But, to be brutally honest, we don't stand a chance against Wigglytuff. Grrrrr! I'm so furious! It's burning me up!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! There's gotta be some way we can get back at 'em!" Koffing encouraged.

Zubat chuckled deviously, "Heh-heh-heh! I'd settle for picking on wimps." Then he got an idea, "Oh! Hey! Instead of Wigglytuff, how about we take revenge on the wimps in that Team Rapid?"

Skuntank turned around, "Chaw-haw! Great idea! They've made us look like a joke at every turn and we never did get our revenge!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! But it won't be so easy this time," Koffing reminded them. "They'll have that bunch of weakling recruits that they lean on with them this time. We'll have to do something about them."

Skuntank started walking off, and his two teammates followed him, "Chaw-haw-haw! Time to do some plotting, boys!"

* * *

The next morning, Nate and Martha arrived promptly at the morning address. After the morning cheers, Chatot called the two of them aside.

"You two! Before you get to work today, I'd like you to run an errand."

Martha nodded, "Okay. What do you need us to do?"

"Go to Kecleon Market," Chatot said. "Ask the owners if they plan to stock Perfect Apples."

Nate raised an eyebrow, "Was there another raid on the Perfect Apples in storage?"

Chatot sweat a bit, "Er, in a way… The guild's storage holds many Perfect Apples. Or at least it can… But the Guildmaster raids the storage when we're not looking and uses up our supply. And you know what happens if the Guildmaster is deprived of his Perfect Apples!"

"Actually, you never told-" Martha started.

Chatot continued, ignoring her, "But having to search for a fresh load of them is always a chore. Sending an exploration team to Apple Woods when the supply runs out is just too much work."

Nate nodded, "So, if Kecleon Market started stocking Perfect Apples, members of the guild could just buy them instead of taking up the whole day with a trip to Apple Woods."

Chatot smiled, "Precisely!"

Martha nodded, "All right. We'll go visit Kecleon Market."

"Great!" Chatot praised. "Way to take charge!"

The two of them made their way up the ladders of the guild and out of the entrance to make their way to Treasure Town. After stopping to let their recruits know that they would be taking a slight detour before going on missions today, Nate and Martha walked through the bustling market town to the Kecleon brothers' shop.

However, when they arrived, they were surprised to see Dusknoir. Nate mentally cursed. He had been hoping to avoid personal contact with Dusknoir, but he couldn't blow his cover now. Nate put on a face that could be seen as friendly, but didn't push it too far. It would be suspicious to be too friendly to a "stranger."

Martha spoke up as they approached, "Hey, isn't that…?"

Dusknoir and the Kecleon brothers turned as they approached. Dusknoir greeted them, "Hello there! You're from the guild, if I'm not mistaken?"

Nate nodded and said, "I'm Ian, and this is my partner Martha."

Martha smiled as she finished, "Together, we're the leaders of Team Rapid. We're pleased to meet you!" Then she tilted her head, "So what are you doing, Dusknoir, sir? Some shopping?"

Dusknoir waved his hand, "No, no. Simply enjoying a chat with Mido here." Dusknoir gestured to the younger Kecleon.

Mido spoke up, "I hailed him down! The great Dusknoir is so very famous."

"We started a conversation (by the way, my name is Mura, if you were curious)," the senior brother continued. "And what a surprising talk! The great Dusknoir is so worldly and wise. I'm thoroughly impressed!"

Nate shrugged with a smile, "Well, it seems the rumors of the," Nate had to try hard not to gag, "great Dusknoir's knowledge are true."

"Ah, Ian, what can I do for you and Martha?" Mido asked. "Have you come to shop?"

Martha shook her head, "I'm afraid not. For now, we just need to ask you a question. Chatot at the guild is wondering if you plan to stock Perfect Apples, since sending an exploration team to harvest them takes a whole day's work. It would be simpler to buy them. So? Do you have plans to stock them?"

Mura nodded, "Hmm, I see. Perfect Apples? We are sorry to disappoint you. We have no such plans."

Martha sighed, "Well, that's a shame, but it can't be helped."

"Azurill, hurry!"

"Wait for me!"

Team Rapid, the Kecleon bros, and Dusknoir looked to see Marill and Azurill running through from the bluff. Mido called to them, "The Marill and Azurill brothers! Well, hello to you both!"

Marill and Azurill stopped and turned to the Kecleon brothers, they looked like they were in a hurry. Regardless, they greeted the two of them.

"Oh! Hi, Kecleon brothers!" Azurill said.

Marill noticed Nate and Martha standing nearby, "Oh! And Team Rapid too!"

Martha bowed her head slightly in greeting and said, "Hi, what's the rush?"

Marill seemed to get excited again, "You know how we've been looking for our lost item?"

Nate perked up, "You mean the same one that you were looking for before?"

"Yes!" Marill practically shouted in excitement. "An item called the Water Float!"

"A Water Float?" Dusknoir repeated. "Now that is quite the precious item!"

Nate got that prickling feeling at the back of his neck and looked where he felt there would be someone watching. He saw nothing, which was even more suspicious than if he'd seen random Pokémon walking by.

Marill nodded rapidly, "Yes! That's why we've been looking hard for it a long time."

"And then!" Azurill jumped excitedly, "Dugtrio from Wigglytuff's Guild said he saw a Water Float on the beach today!"

"We're rushing to the beach now!" Marill finished.

* * *

Crouched low behind some bushes near the main path, Koffing and Zubat were hiding from Nate's sight. They spoke in hushed tones, discussing what they had just heard.

"Heh-heh-heh! Juicy tidbit!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! Could be useful for our plan!"

They started sneaking away as Zubat continued whispering, "We'll bring the Chief up to speed, then get the jump on them."

* * *

Martha started laughing, "That's wonderful! It's great that it's finally turned up!"

Both Marill and Azurill agreed before Marill turned back to his younger brother. "Come on, Azurill! Let's go quick!" he said.

"Yep!"

With that, the two brothers left, headed for the beach. Martha smiled, "I was wondering how those little brothers were doing with their item search. Good for them. Looks like they've found it."

Mido tilted his head, "I've never heard of a Water Float. What purpose does it serve?"

Dusknoir spoke up, "A Water Float is an item specifically for Azurill. It can be obtained only by trading precious items again and again. As such, it is said to be an exceedingly rare item."

Mura nodded, "Is that so? Our line of work is buying and selling, but we have never heard of it. It must be exceedingly rare! To sell such a rare item. I'm afraid such a day will never come."

With the topic shifting back to selling items, Martha remembered that she and Nate were on an errand. "Ian, I've just remembered, we have to report back to Chatot about the Perfect Apples! Let's get back to the guild!"

After rushing back, the two of them broke the news to Chatot. He didn't take it well, to say the least.

"What?!" he shouted. "They have no plans to stock Perfect Apples?" Chatot squawked nervously. "What am I supposed to do now?!"

Nate spoke up, "You know, we could easily get more Perfect Apples, if need be. Especially with Team Skull not here anymore."

Chatot shook his head with a sigh, "Last time was an emergency. While I appreciate the sentiment, your services are better used elsewhere. I'll just have to make the trip myself. You two should just look over the Job Bulletin Board and Outlaw Notice Board as usual. Run along now."

Nate and Martha nodded before leaving to the mission floor. Once there, they found two missions for Waterfall Cave. Deciding to focus on finding missions for there, Nate suggested that they go to Marowak Dojo to catch up Augustus and Tisha in strength.

* * *

That day, after training in the Rock/Water-type Maze Nate and Martha had each learned a new move, Feint and Bite, respectively. Along the way, they found three more missions to Waterfall Cave and one mission to Foggy Forest on the boards. In addition, Maribel had accepted another job from Foggy Forest and one from Craggy Coast at the request of two of the customers.

Deciding that they had acquired enough jobs for the day, Nate and Martha chose Augustus and Regina to accompany them on that day's missions. While Augustus didn't know any Grass-type moves yet, his typing provided resistance to all the major types in Waterfall Cave, so he was able to take anything given to him and restore any minor damage with Leech Life.

Regina, along with Augustus were able to help with making quick work of the Spinarak, Surskit and Lotad outlaws that needed to be arrested. The Lotad had managed to surprise Regina when she closed in for a Bug Bite following Martha's Tackle. She was knocked to the ground by a Zen Headbutt. Luckily, even though Regina was stunned, Augustus leaped and latched onto the Lotad's lily pad and finished him with Leech Life. After the outlaw was warped away, Martha asked if Regina was okay.

She nodded, panting slightly, "We… We are fine. It doth take more might yet to make us stay down." She turned to Augustus, who was already moving on, "You have our thanks."

"Don't get the wrong idea," Augustus said. "I still don't trust you lot, but I hate outlaws more than I hate exploration teams. Come on, we have one more rescue mission."

Martha huffed as he started leaving on his own, "Rude."

* * *

After rescuing a Buneary on the eighth sublevel, Team Rapid returned to the guild and their two recruits left for the day. As they waited for each of their clients, Officer Magnezone arrived first to drop off the bounties and reward items for the capture of the three outlaws.

Once their last client (a Spheal) arrived to pick up the Farfetch'd (her boyfriend, Chad) they had rescued, she asked if she could join their team. Martha was about to decline, but Nate had insisted.

"We don't have an Ice-type, and I don't want to constantly be the only one who can take on Flying-types," Nate argued. "I say we should let her come aboard if she's offering."

The Spheal looked hopefully at Martha and she didn't see much point, but she agreed. The Spheal nodded eagerly, "Thank you so much! I've never fought before, but I won't disappoint you! My name is Yrja." **(AN: Pronounced "EER-zhah," I think. A Norwegian name meaning "drizzling rain." I thought it was a good idea at the time.)**

Martha directed Yrja to Chimecho's Assembly desk and Nate mentally checked that base covered as he watched the Spheal ask Chad for sparring practice.

'Water/Ice-type for Flying-types, check. Bug/Grass-type for Ground-types, check. Flying types for protecting against Fighting-types. Water-types for protecting against Fire-types and Rock-types. Tisha to protect against all Electric-types and further protection against Rock-types. Augustus to protect against other Grass-types. This team will be well-insured against type disadvantages. Even after I'm gone.'

* * *

The rest of the day passed and Nate and Martha had visited the recruits still at Spinda Café to let them know that another new member would be joining them before returning to the guild to wait out the evening.

Later, Chimecho called everybody to dinner. After everyone arrived, they were about to start eating, but Chatot called everyone's attention for an announcement which was met with a plethora of complaints from the entire room. He managed to calm them relatively fast, since the look on his face was very grave.

Chatot cleared his throat when it was quiet, "Now we just received word of this… Another Time Gear was stolen!"

"WHAT?!"

The entire room had shouted that, and even Nate threw in a "What?" to keep up appearances. As the other apprentices were dumbfounded, he was internally sighing. 'For a first-class guild, they sure are behind in their news. Grovyle doesn't need that much rest when he's focused on his mission. It couldn't have taken him more than a week since we reunited to find the Time Gear of Limestone Cavern and start moving on to the next one. The only question is, which lake will he visit first?'

Bidoof spoke up nervously, "Uh, is it… maybe… the one in Fogbound Lake?"

Chatot shook his head, "No, it wasn't. The stolen Time Gear was not from Fogbound Lake. From the region that was paralyzed, it was from somewhere deep in Boulder Quarry on the southernmost peninsula. But that's the second Time Gear to be stolen. It would be extremely bad if a third were to be taken." He raised his wing in a calming gesture, "Now, rest assured that I have full confidence in you all." His voice took on a sterner tone, "But I must make one thing very clear. You must never tell anyone what you witnessed during our expedition! Understood?"

The mess hall was once again filled with the irate shouts of the guild apprentices.

"Of course!" the usually stoic Dugtrio shouted angrily.

Loudred stomped his foot, nearly knocking over his and Bidoof's food, "I don't have a big mouth!"

Sunflora shook her head, "Eeek! I would never forget the promise we made to Uxie!"

Chatot raised his voice, "Okay! Okay! Quiet, everyone!" Once everybody calmed down, Chatot apologized for postponing dinner, and everybody started eating.

Later, Martha was pacing around her and Nate's room. She muttered nervously, "Another Time Gear stolen… That's two now! I can't understand why anyone would want to steal them!"

Nate pondered the prospect of telling Martha, but immediately squashed the thought. 'Not with Dusknoir around. If she learned his role in this, she'd probably blow my cover by doing something to confirm the truth. If not, she'd probably blow my cover by asking him for help. And, sadly, I can't trust Martha enough that she'd take my word over Dusknoir's. Not after the Drowzee Incident.'

Martha eventually stopped pacing and settled on her bed with a sigh, "I just can't figure it out… But, you know, Ian… When I think about it…" She turned to Nate, "I get this feeling that our expedition to Fogbound Lake took place a long time ago." Martha looked out the window, "Wasn't the view fantastic? It was like being in a dream!"

Nate nodded and said, "It was a majestic sight." There had been nothing of the sort in the future. No light, and no running or falling water. He could never have fathomed that the two could appear so beautiful. In a way, he was glad to have seen a sight, even though he wanted to take the centerpiece so badly.

Martha seemed to get a faraway look in her eyes, "I wonder how Uxie is doing? I wonder if he's well?"

Nate said nothing at first, but then he started lying down on his own bed. "Thinking about it will just keep us up, so we'd best get some sleep if we want to get up on time tomorrow."

Martha agreed and started curling up on her own bed. Nate closed his eyes, but his mind remained awake a moment longer. 'I'm legitimately sorry for you, Martha. For you and this guild. Ultimately, your promise to Uxie meant nothing in the long run.'

* * *

As the night passed, a massive roar could be heard for many miles before there was a thud that shook the ground of the Steam Cave peak. As Uxie stood guard by the shore of the lake, he pondered the figure before him. It stayed in the shadows, but Uxie could tell right away why this intruder was here.

A thief had come for the Time Gear.

Uxie shook his head with regret, "I knew it… I knew I shouldn't have trusted them. Soon after they left… Another Pokémon would come… I should have done it. I should have taken their memories while I had the chance."

As the figure walked forward, revealed to be Grovyle in the light from the lake, he said after a pause, "I don't know exactly what you're talking about… But you're wrong. No one led me here. No one told me about this place. I've known about the presence of a Time Gear here… for a long time."

The leaves on Grovyle's arms lined up and extended to form a Leaf Blade, "I have no quarrel with you. But I am taking it with me. The third Time Gear!"

* * *

**My gosh! I know that it wasn't as long a wait this time, but still, a month! Sorry again, these long chapters take time. I hope the next one won't be as long a wait.**

**Also, I gave the Kecleon Brothers names because I was sick of referring to them as "younger/green Kecleon" and "older/senior/purple Kecleon." Their names are inspired by the Japanese words "midori" (green) and "murasaki" (purple). Just for a little laugh.**

**See you when I see you.**

**-AJ 203**


	13. What Makes an Explorer?

Chapter 13: What Makes an Explorer?

Nate and Martha were at the morning address as usual, but they were called aside by Loudred soon after.

Once they arrived, Martha asked, "What's up?"

Loudred pointed up the ladder, "You got yourselves some visitors. They're waiting at the guild entrance."

Nate nodded thoughtfully, "Interesting… We'll go now."

The two of them traveled up the ladders to the already opened gate. When they arrived, they found Marill and Azurill waiting for them, Marill holding on to a piece of paper. After greetings were exchanged, Nate cut to the point. "We heard that we had visitors today. Is there something you need?"

Marill nodded, his smile falling slightly, "Yep. We came to ask you two, Team Rapid, for help."

"We need your help finding a Water Float," Azurill added.

Martha tilted her head, "A Water Float? Didn't you hear yesterday that it was at the beach?"

Marill nodded, "We went there looking for it, but… we didn't find it. Instead, this is what we found." He held the piece of paper out and Nate took it before holding it up for him and Martha to read.

_"__The Water Float from the beach is now in our possession. Just try to take it from us! We'll wait in the deepest part of Amp Plains. But knowing how weak and puny you are… I bet you can't even reach us! Chaw-haw-haw!_

_"__Can't handle it? Go cry to your big-shot friends! Chaw-haw-haw!"_

Nate felt his blood boil, but he carefully kept it under wraps as Martha said, "This is a ransom note, isn't it?! You didn't go, did you?!"

Marill looked down, "But the Water Float is very important to us. We really want to get it back. But I can't take Azurill to such a dangerous place."

"I said I would go too!" Azurill protested.

Marill shook his head, "It's too much for you. I don't want you getting into any scary scrapes." He turned back to Nate and Martha, "I went to Amp Plains by myself."

He looked down, sad, "But many Electric-type Pokémon live there! I'm no match for them."

"Say no more," Nate interrupted. "We'll handle this. We recently recruited a specialist for dealing with Electric-type Pokémon, so don't worry."

Martha nodded, "We'll go get the Water Float back for you. Just leave it to us!"

Marill nodded and bowed slightly, "O-okay. W-we're sorry to bother you about this. Thank you!"

Nate nodded, "We'll get it back for you. You can be sure of that." He looked to Martha, "Shall we muster the recruits?"

"You bet!" Martha said. "To Amp Plains!"

With that, Nate and Martha started heading down the stairs. As they walked, Martha spoke, "Ian, do you think that it's…?"

"Nobody else has a laugh that stupid, and he even took the time to write it in," Nate deadpanned. Then he grew serious again, "We'll need Psymon for his psychic attacks, and Tisha for her typing against the Electric-types and Team Skull. It's pretty risky taking Psymon, since he's a Water-type, but Tisha isn't as strong as I'd like to assist us with Team Skull alone. Even with resistance to poison moves, Skuntank doesn't seem to rely too much on them. It's risky, but our best bet."

Once the recruits were brought up to speed, and Psymon and Maribel helped fill in the other recruits on who Team Skull was, it was pretty clear what today's mission was.

"So we'll need to be prepared, not just against Electric-types, but also Poison-types too," Martha concluded.

"I want to-"

"No," Nate cut Augustus off. "I'm sure you'd love to beat up pretty much the incarnation of everything you hate about exploration teams, but you'd be at a horrendous type disadvantage. Sure, Zubat could be weak enough for you to take down before he could hit you, but then you'd be at the mercy of Skuntank's Flamethrower. Trust me, it's not pleasant."

Augustus didn't look happy about it, but he couldn't argue with cold, hard facts.

Martha continued, "So we'll be taking Psymon and Tisha. We'll also need to make sure to pack some Pecha Berries and Cheri Berries so we don't get held up by poison or paralysis. Along with that, we'll need some seeds to mix up with our fighting. Unlike last time, we'll be aiming to defeat them."

Tisha held her bone club over her shoulder, "I've dealt with my fair share o' bullies tryin' to hurt Natalie. Team Skull's goin' down!"

* * *

After Nate and Martha packed up for the mission, and giving Psymon a Special Band and Tisha a Zinc Band, the four of them left for Amp Plains. After heading around and going north from Waterfall Cave, they reached the end of the charted portion of their map which marked the start of Amp Plains.

Although, "plains" wasn't the word that readily came to mind when they looked at the area. The grass at the entrance was brown, and burnt in some places, along with gray rocks serving as landmarks to the entrance.

Martha looked at the storm clouds roiling above, then at the gap between two raised plateaus of gray stone. "This must be the entrance to Amp Plains. This is where those creeps took Marill and Azurill's Water Float." She growled, "I always knew they were scumbags, but this is a new low!"

"Stay focused," Nate chided. "They might try to use your own anger against you. Don't let them."

Martha took a deep breath and let it out, "You're right. What matters most is that we get the Water Float back. Team Skull comes second."

Nate nodded, "Good."

Psymon walked up along with Tisha after they were done talking, and he said, "So what's the game plan?"

Nate turned to them, "Tisha, focus on defending Psymon from any electric attacks. Psymon, you're primarily a long distance fighter, so do your usual thing to help Tisha compensate for her, as of now, lower fighting strength."

Tisha held up her club in acknowledgment, "'Kay, I gotcha, but I can cover all of us."

Psymon turned to her, "You can?"

"Didn't I tell y'all?" Tisha asked. "I've got Lightnin' Rod as my ability."

"Oh," Martha said. "Well then, this should be much easier than normal. Thank you, Tisha."

"'S what I do."

Team Rapid then proceeded to enter Amp Plains and make quick work of the enraged Pokémon there to proceed. Once they were two floors down, they found the Hidden Bazaar again. This time, Martha was quick enough to avoid falling down the stairs.

They were still far from tired, so they passed on the Mime Jr. Spa treatment, taking a bit of time to examine the other facilities.

Five minutes later, Nate was dragging Martha away to the staircase out of the Bazaar. He had turned his back for one minute to ask about the other Pokémons' services, and she had spent all their money on hand on five "wonderful, amazing," Grab Bags. All of which contained completely common items that they would have surely found eventually from simply wandering around a typical mystery dungeon.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time…" Martha said sheepishly as she was dragged by the ruff of fur on her neck.

Nate said nothing, but inwardly, he commented, 'Classic case of gambler's fallacy.'

They continued on a few more floors without much event before appearing right in the middle of a monster house. It was rather tough, since Tisha had to stay back to avoid risk of getting boxed in and overpowered with Quick Attacks from the Plusle and Minun. One Minun managed to get a hit on her and damage her badly, but Psymon stopped him with a Water Pulse. A Girafarig was especially troublesome, landing a strong Stomp attack while Psymon was already injured, nearly knocking him out, but Nate dashed in on all fours and took his next attack, pushing Psymon out of harm's way. From underneath the Girafarig's feet, a Thunderbolt took care of both him and the Elekid standing next to him. **(Psymon literally had 1 health point left at the end of this battle. I had a Reviver Seed, but still.)**

Once the Girafarig fell sideways onto the Elekid's unconscious body, Nate got up and held his hands on his back as he stretched his back, popping the joints. Once his back felt better, he took an Oran Berry out of the Treasure Bag and gave it to Psymon, who was on the ground a few feet away. After Psymon ate it, he sat up and got back to his feet, letting out a breath of relief.

"Thanks for the save," he said. "That was a close call…"

Nate shook his head, "You would've done the same if one of us was in critical danger."

They were about to move on when they started hearing muffled speech. They turned to see the Elekid's feet kicking now as the Girafarig's body started shifting. Soon, the body lifted a bit and they heard the voice take a breath and say, "All right, come on, you heavy bastard…!"

The Elekid's legs tucked in and he threw his weight backwards to stand on his hands and kick the Girafarig off of him using Low Kick. The Girafarig's unconscious body flopped to be laying on his right side instead of his left. The Elekid continued backwards to be on all fours, then stood and dusted himself off. Then he noticed Team Rapid staring at him.

He blushed and scratched the back of his head as he chuckled awkwardly, "Oh, haha… You're still here… Well, that saves me time on catching up. Hi, name's Wattson. See, I wasn't actually trying to attack you… I was trying to talk to you when that hot mess of other Pokémon were attacking you, then I got caught up in that attack from you," he pointed to Nate as he said that, "and then I was suffocating. Sorry about the language, I don't usually talk like that. Anyway, I was thinking of joining your team. I've heard good things about you!"

Nate raised an eyebrow, "About us in particular? Sounds awfully suspicious."

Elekid waved his hands quickly, "No, no! I didn't mean I was spying on you! Some outlaws making their hideouts around here were talking about an exploration team with a Pikachu and an Eevee that was cleaning out tons of hideouts in other mystery dungeons. Apple Woods, Waterfall Cave, Mt. Bristle, you guys have a reputation now. It'd be my honor to-"

Martha's eyes narrowed suddenly, "And why would you be able to listen in on outlaws? Their hideouts are hidden from everybody except exploration teams."

Wattson stopped speaking and closed his mouth. Nate turned to look as Martha advanced forward, looking him in the eye, "You know, you seem awfully strong to be just an average Pokémon. If you've discovered some secret way to detect outlaw hideouts, I'm sure Officer Magnezone would love to hear about it. If you haven't, then either you're already a part of an exploration team, or the alternative…"

As Martha stared into his eyes, Wattson started trembling and closed his eyes as he spoke.

"My boss was captured, okay?" he admitted reluctantly. "Everybody else went into hiding, and I don't know where they went. Losing my boss made me realize that you guys, all of you, are quickly outnumbering outlaws. So it was either try to change, or keep running and hiding to stall capture. It doesn't take much intelligence to figure out which is better."

Psymon crossed his arms, "And why should we accept your request?"

Wattson opened his eyes and held out his hand as he spoke, "I can give you information. More accurately, I can give the police information on every outlaw that I know. I didn't know as many as the boss, but I've seen their faces and met them at their hideouts on errands. I've probably been to more dungeons than you, a new exploration team, have. I can give testimony to incriminate outlaws that have never been able to be proven guilty. All I want in exchange is protection. If I went to the police by myself, I'd be a dead Pokémon walking."

"You intended to fool us into thinking you were just another Pokémon," Martha said. It wasn't a question. "That means your Plan B was to bargain your way on. If you were really trying to change, wouldn't you have told us the truth first?"

"…Listen, I was going to go to the police as an exploration team member and _then_ give the information," Wattson said at length. "I didn't want to tell _you_ because it's _really awkward_ to admit having been working for an outlaw when you're now on, or trying to join, an exploration team. But, now that it's out in the open," he threw his hands up in the air, "how about it?"

Martha frowned, "You can't seriously think we'd believe-" She was cut off as Nate held his hand up and said, "He's telling the truth." When the others, including Wattson, looked at him, he continued, "It's his face. He's desperate for us to accept him. He has nothing right now."

Martha looked at Nate disbelievingly, and then she tilted her head and said, "Huddle up, team."

Once they were huddled, Wattson lowering his arms with a hopeful expression as he waited, Martha whispered, "Ian, what are you thinking?! Are you seriously saying that we should trust this criminal?!"

"Technically speaking, he's a former criminal, right now," Nate countered. "He's always been used to taking orders, so it's likely that he's lost his direction and is desperate to find a new one. If we took him in, and he really means that he'll give information to the police, then all the better."

Psymon spoke up, "I don't like that he'd so easily sell out other outlaws. How do we know he wouldn't do the same to us?"

"Simple," Nate said, turning to face Psymon, "he doesn't have the guts. The only thing he was interested in was protection, not money, not recognition, or anything else. He's a firm believer in safety in numbers, and, as he said, the numbers are beginning to look larger on the side of exploration teams."

"An' iffen he turns on us?" Tisha challenged.

Speaking up so Wattson could hear, Nate said, "Then, if it comes to that, I will personally hunt him down." Unheard by Team Rapid, Wattson gulped nervously.

Martha didn't speak for a while, but she reluctantly nodded. Once they turned back to Wattson, Martha said, "After much debate, we've decided to take you up on your offer. We're sending you back for now, but I expect confirmation from Officer Magnezone later that you've fulfilled your end of the deal."

"Th-thank you!" Wattson said. "I won't let you down."

Nate smiled, but it wasn't entirely friendly, "So long as you were being sincere, there's nothing for you to be afraid of. Welcome to Team Rapid."

An explorer badge appeared on his chest in a small flash of light and he was warped out of the dungeon. Martha shook her head, "I hope you know what you're doing, Ian."

"Trust me, I do," Nate responded. 'That's the last one I needed to recruit. The Electric-type was unnecessary, but he can learn fighting moves, so that squares off the type coverage. In some ways, it's actually better this way, since he only has a weakness to Ground-type, which Psymon and Augustus will be able to cover. Now, Martha's team will be well protected after I'm gone.'

Once they moved on, they found a TM for Roost, so they switched out an item they didn't need, so they could bring it for Maribel. For the following floors, they found the stairs without much event and reached the waypoint, where a Kangaskhan Rock stood.

While Psymon and Tisha rested, Nate took out the Adventure Log and updated it to their current location. Once he was done, he slid the now decently thick book into the mouth of the statue. The four of them gathered at the path to move on.

"We must be getting close to the deepest part," Nate observed.

Martha added, "I don't know what to expect from Team Skull, so we'd better go really carefully."

* * *

Back at Treasure Town, Marill and Azurill were talking with the Kecleon Brothers. They had felt the need to talk about their problem with someone else.

Once they were done, Mido nodded with his arms crossed, "Ah, I see. That's what happened to your Water Float. What a mean thing to do!"

"So, Ian and Martha's team is on the way there right now, yes?" Mura asked.

Azurill nodded, "Yep!"

"They said they would go get it for us," Marill said.

Mura smiled, "Good for you! You can rest easy knowing Team Rapid is on the case!"

Marill nodded with a smile, "Yes, that's true. They once saved Azurill too. We're so grateful for their help!"

As they were talking, another voice spoke up, greeting them, "Good day to you all. Is something the matter?"

The Kecleon Brothers and Marill and Azurill turned to see Dusknoir walking up to the shop as well. Mura greeted him, "Hello, Dusknoir, sir! We were just talking about Marill's lost item. Do you remember? We discussed that very same thing here not long ago."

Dusknoir turned to them, "Of course. I believe you're referring to the Water Float?" Addressing Marill and Azurill, he said, "I seem to recall you'd heard it was on the beach."

"Exactly!" Mido replied. "But now there is more to the story…"

After Mido explained the story that he'd heard from Marill, Dusknoir nodded with a sigh, "I see. That is terrible indeed. It's hard to imagine why anyone would do something so wretched. It must take some pathetic thugs to stoop so low."

"I just couldn't agree more!" Mido replied vehemently. "To be so mean spirited to children! And to children so young as these brothers! It's utterly unforgivable!"

Mura took some time to calm his younger brother, but Dusknoir interrupted, "One more thing… Where has Team Rapid gone?"

"They went to Amp Plains," Marill answered.

Dusknoir turned sharply to Marill and Azurill, "Pardon? Did you say Amp Plains?" Then he muttered to himself, "But in Amp Plains, at this time of year… It's the season for…" Then he shouted, "No! This is ruinous! Team Rapid is in grave danger!"

"What?!" both of the Kecleon brothers shouted.

Dusknoir flew up, saying, "I must leave for Amp Plains immediately!"

"What?! Wait!" Mido exclaimed. "What are-?!"

With no further explanaition, Dusknoir took off north and northeast, cutting across the inlet and heading in a straight course for Amp Plains.

* * *

At the same time, Team Rapid was already making quick progress through the second part of Amp Plains. They were on the fourth level and Tisha had learned Focus Energy. A Dodrio asked to join their team, but Nate and Martha declined. There was nothing she could do that Maribel couldn't do. Also, in Nate's mind, Maribel would grow stronger than a Dodrio once time was fixed and Luminous Spring regained its light.

They found an abundance of Iron Thorns as well, which Nate handed a small pack of to Tisha as a long-range attack substitute until she learned Bonemerang.

Once they reached the tenth level of Far Amp Plains, they were heading towards a clearing and Nate's nerves were instantly on edge. Thunder boomed and lightning crackled overhead. Nate _hated _thunderstorms.

Martha shivered a bit, "Yikes, what an intimidating place…"

"Don't worry, hon, I've got us covered," Tisha reassured.

Nate looked ahead and saw something glimmering in the occasional flashes of lightning. He pointed and spoke, "That must be the Water Float. Let's go grab it and then we'll deal with whatever trap was set."

Something was off, though, to Nate. 'Since Team Skull isn't here guarding it, there must have been something they were counting on to take care of us. Still, we should secure the Water Float first.'

However, they didn't even make it two steps before the limited light from beyond the thunderclouds dimmed further, blacking out the clearing entirely. Martha yelped, and Nate shouted, "Close ranks! Tisha, you stay in the center!"

Once they were in formation, a voice shouted, "Why did you come here?! This is our territory!"

Martha spoke up, a slight tremble in her voice, "W-we didn't come here to make claims on your territory! W-we're an… an exploration team! Team Rapid! All we want is an item that was hidden here."

"Item… hidden… YOU!" The voice only seemed to grow more and more furious as it spoke. "You were working with the others that came here and disrupted our peace! They came and hurt us before leaving that item and escaping under the cover of a Smokescreen!"

Martha shook her head furiously, even though she still couldn't see, "No! _We_ weren't working with them!"

"SILENCE!"

With another flash of lighting, the clearing lit up again and a Manectric was standing between Team Rapid and the Water Float with eight Electrike surrounding them on all sides. Some of the Electrike had faded red marks displaying past burns. The Manectric growled as electricity sparked along his fur, "You will pay for trespassing! Take this!"

Manectric fired a massive charge beam at Martha and Nate, who were in front of Tisha, but it immediately redirected over them to Tisha's raised club where it buzzed through her body with no effect. She lowered her club again and said, "Hate to disappoint y'all, but none o' yer electricity's getting through me. If we all understand that, maybe you'll listen to us."

Martha tried making another plea, "We aren't here to drive you off of your turf. We don't want to hurt you. Those three that you've seen have caused us trouble before; we hate them just as much as you do. We just want that item that they stole, to return it to the rightful owners! After we have it, we'll leave and never bother you again! Please, believe us!"

Nate could have stepped in at any time, but he decided to see how Martha handled this. Her temper had been in check so far. She hadn't taken it personally that Manectric had tried to ambush them. He wanted to see just how level a head she could keep when the other party was unreasonable.

He was caught off-guard when Manectric dashed forward and rammed into him with Quick Attack. He managed to hold up his hands to partially block the tackle and the two of them skid back several feet from the impact. Psymon and Tisha looked ready to intervene, but Martha shook her head.

Manectric looked down at Nate, but Nate leveled an apathetic gaze back before gesturing with his pupils to Martha. A sign that he was following her orders for now. She hadn't said to fight back. He was only putting minimal effort to block.

"Please," Martha said, "this isn't a fight. We're trying to negotiate."

After Manectric stepped back, he said, "So be it! I choose to believe your words. I will allow you some time. I expect you to be gone by our return, item or no item." He glanced at the surrounding Electrike and tilted his head towards the side as he turned around, "Come."

The Electrike circled around Team Rapid as they returned to Manectric's side and left with him. Once they were gone, Martha let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm very impressed with how you handled that, Martha," Nate commented. "Every day, I watch you become more and more like an explorer."

Tisha spoke up, "We could've taken 'em, though."

Martha shook her head, "That wouldn't have solved anything. This is their home. We were trespassing; they had every right to be angry. If we barged in and beat them up when they got in our way, what would that prove? But we really should secure the Water Float, before something else happens."

They started moving towards the item, but Nate paused. He had that prickling feeling again. Somebody was here.

"Tisha…" Nate began, "pass the Iron Thorns back to me, and get ready to move. If things get dicey, grab the Water Float and go back to Treasure Town to finish the mission."

Martha looked at Nate, "You mean…?"

Nate nodded, "We're being watched."

"No need to worry yourselves, it's just me," a new voice said.

Dusknoir appeared in front of them, in the middle of the clearing, forming from a pool of shadows that gathered. Martha looked relieved, and Nate made his face less wary, but he would've actually preferred if it was Team Skull.

"I arrived a short while ago, but I stopped when I saw how wisely you avoided conflict, Martha," Dusknoir explained. "I came to save you from the Manectric and Electrike, only to find that you didn't need saving. Good work!"

"We appreciate the effort," Martha said. Then she tilted her head, "But… who were they?"

"They are a nomadic tribe that always stays on the move," Dusknoir said. "They roam in constant search of places that are hospitable to them. Amp Plains is often lashed by thunderstorms this time of year. They find it to their liking, so they dwell in Amp Plains this time of year. But, tragically, they were once attacked by enemies here without warning… And I understand that they suffered terrible injuries."

Martha nodded, "So they attack from fear of being attacked."

Nate was glad that, at least for now, Dusknoir was not a threat. Regardless, he still had the feeling they were being watched and he looked around before saying, "I hate to interrupt, but we're all still being watched. If my hunch is correct, this time, it's them."

Tisha passed the small bag of Iron Thorns to Nate and went to stand by the Water Float as Dusknoir turned back around to face the rocks dotting the clearing, "Good instinct, Ian. It _is_ about time you showed yourselves, you scoundrels!"

There was a pause, but then that laugh that was all too familiar to Nate and Martha rang out.

"Chaw-haw-haw! So you knew all along! No point in hiding, then!"

Skuntank, Koffing and Zubat came out from different rocks in the clearing. Martha growled at them, ready to fight. There was no need for diplomacy with these crooks.

"You thugs!" Martha shouted. "Dragging children into your schemes! Why?!"

"Whoa-ho-ho!" Koffing laughed. "We were _going_ to wait for you to get stomped by Manectric… Then we were going to step in and mop up afterward!"

Zubat spat on the ground, "But we didn't expect you to _talk_ your way out. Listening to you harp on about coming in peace made me wanna gag!"

Nate stepped forward, "Well then, shall we settle this?" His tail sparked dangerously as he spoke, "We were interrupted last time, but now you can have your fight."

"Chaw-haw-haw! Sure, if it was just you, we'd rough you up good!" Skuntank said as he slipped a paw into his Treasure Bag. "But against the world-famous Dusknoir…? That's a different story!"

Skuntank pulled out an Escape Orb, "Let's skedaddle, boys!" He threw it to the ground and the three were instantly warped out of the dungeon.

Tisha huffed, "They're nothin' but a bunch o' wusses!"

"They certainly are quick when it comes to… skedaddling," Dusknoir commented. "I'm afraid our effort would be wasted if we were to give chase now. For now, we should deliver the Water Float to the young brothers."

* * *

Once Team Rapid returned using their badges (Dusknoir had caught a ride by holding onto Nate's shoulder, much to his discomfort), Psymon and Tisha had left to rest at Spinda Café, and Nate and Martha found Marill and Azurill back at Kecleon Market.

Once the Water Float was returned, Azurill cheered, "Oh, wow! We got our Water Float back!"

Marill sniffled from tears of joy, "You saved Azurill way back when, and now this! I don't know how we could ever thank you! But, really… thank you!"

Martha smiled, "Oh, please! It's okay. We did it because we wanted to help! No thanks are necessary."

Mura nodded, "Leave it to Team Rapid to be so modest!"

"And I must say that they have also been superb!" Mido added. "After all, the team has again completed a difficult job! When you rescued Azurill, you were so fast at pinpointing the child's whereabouts! And so fast at reaching our young friend too!"

Martha turned to the Kecleon Brothers, "Oh, about the Azurill rescue, I have to admit something… It would be great if it truly happened the way that you said, Mido, but… it's not exactly the truth."

Nate kept his face composed, but he was worrying on the inside. If Martha revealed his Dimensional Scream ability right here, in front of Dusknoir, it would be enough to make him suspicious and draw his own conclusions. Dusknoir wouldn't miss a chance to catch someone that had the same ability as his target, even if he was wrong about it being the one he was looking for.

"We didn't pin down Azurill's location before we rescued him," Martha continued. "Ian had followed them himself and sent Marill back to find me. He had his suspicions from the beginning, but… I didn't believe him."

Nate internally let out a breath of relief, then he said, "As I've said before, it would've all been for nothing if you didn't come in to save me. I would've lost."

Mura waved his hand, "Nobody has a perfect start!"

Dusknoir nodded, "What matters most is that you two saved Azurill when he was in danger."

Nate nodded, "Agreed. Well, we'll be on our way. We have to debrief our most recent recruit about something we asked him to do."

Being reminded of Wattson, Martha turned serious again. "Yes, it's been a few hours now. Let's go see him."

* * *

Once Nate and Martha arrived at Spinda Café, they went towards their table and found Wattson awkwardly standing near it while holding a paper and wearing a new metal band around his shoulder, but he hadn't made his presence known to the other recruits yet (especially staying out of Psymon and Tisha's sight), who were still chatting amongst themselves. Once he spotted Nate and Martha, he seemed to calm down and head towards the two of them.

"Hi," he said nervously. "Listen, I know you don't want to take my word for it, but I _did_ go to the police station. Officer Magnezone wasn't there, neither were most of the Magneton and Magnemite. I reported what I knew to one of the Magnemites that was still there, but he said that Magnezone was busy with an important investigation. He gave me this, though."

Wattson handed Nate a paper and he and Martha read it through.

_"__This Pokémon, Wattson, will be allowed an acquittal for past crimes, but is now on probation for 6 months. He is to be in the custody of Team Rapid, who will be responsible for reporting to the police station about his behavior._

_"__If this Pokémon is tracked outside of his approved living space when not working with Team Rapid, he will be assumed to be engaged in crime and apprehended._

_"Deputy Magnemite"_

Nate looked up, "So that's a tracking band?"

"I'm living right next to a police officer," Wattson explained. "He'll escort me here each morning, and I'm to be supervised by at least one of you until he picks me up at sunset."

"More than that," Nate said, handing back the paper, "what could be so important that the police station was left mostly unattended?"

"Oh," Wattson scratched his head. "Didn't think to ask that…"

Martha shook her head, "Well, for now, we should introduce you to the other recruits."

But before they could move, Bidoof came rushing into the café. He looked around and spotted them, calling out.

"Hey! Huff… G-glad I… f-found you here…" he said between breaths.

Nate had a bad feeling, but he asked anyway, "What's wrong?"

"The call has been put out!" Bidoof shouted. "All the apprentices are to report to the guild immediately!"

Martha looked worried, "Uh-oh. This can't be good!"

Bidoof turned around, "Hurry, you two!"

Wattson held out a hand, reaching for them, "Wait! What about-"

"Figure it out for yourself," Nate called over his shoulder as he ran after Bidoof and Martha.

Wattson gulped and turned around. By then, the commotion had caught the other Team Rapid recruits' attention. Psymon and Tisha had recognized him. Holding the paper, he walked up to the table and decided to be blunt, since the two of them knew him already.

"Hi," he said while waving sheepishly. "I'm Wattson, former henchman. I'll be working with you all while I'm on probation."

* * *

Nate and Martha arrived at the first sublevel of the guild along with Bidoof. There was a huge commotion in front of the outlaw notice board. Nate also noticed that Dusknoir was there as well.

'This is what he was waiting for,' Nate thought. 'For Grovyle's actions to become public.'

Bidoof called out, "Everyone's here, yup yup!"

Martha bowed her head, "Sorry we're late, everyone! We just got told that the call went out, so we came running! What's going on?"

Nate already knew what Chatot was going to say when he cringed and hesitated.

"Another Time Gear was stolen."

"What?!" Bidoof shouted. "Not another one!"

"From where now…?" Martha nervously asked. "Where was this Time Gear stolen from?"

Nate was pretending to be concerned as well when Chatot started stuttering, "W-well, it…"

"Uh… what's the problem?" Bidoof asked uncertainly. "Did it happen somewhere you don't want to talk about?"

Putting the right mix of concern and fear into his voice, Nate said, "Chatot! Please, don't tell me it was from…"

Sunflora shook her head sadly, "Yes… it was! This time… the Time Gear from Fogbound Lake was stolen."

Nate made sure to look shocked. It made him sick to his stomach, but he had to keep up appearances. Especially in front of Dusknoir. He was just another explorer. He knew nothing. He must act his part, so that if Grovyle's captured, he would be able to carry on the mission.

He thought back over what he said to Martha earlier today.

_"__Every day, I watch you become more and more like an explorer."_

'And what would _I_ know about that? I may be part of an exploration team, and explore mystery dungeons, but I'm no explorer. The only thing I _am_ is on a mission. And I will do whatever it takes to ensure that it gets seen through.'

* * *

**W00t! Only 20 days instead of one month! Soon, though, I'm going to be back at school, and I'll only be able to dedicate 5-6 hours a week, max, to writing fan fiction. Any more than that, and I'm not studying as much as I should. Next is updating Kid Icarus: Wings of Nature, then editing a chapter for LyokoWarrior1994. See you next time!**

**-AJ203**


	14. From Bad to Worse

Chapter 14: From Bad to Worse

Martha shook her head in disbelief, "B-but, how?! The Time Gear that was at Fogbound Lake… Only _we_ knew about it, right? So how could this happen?!"

There was a pause, and Martha said, "It couldn't be… that a member of the guild-"

"Martha, be reasonable," Nate interrupted. "There's no way that anyone here would reveal that secret." 'We knew where it was long before we got here,' he added mentally.

Martha turned to Nate, and then nodded, "You're right, Ian. Sorry."

Sunflora shook her head, "Well, it's no wonder that you'd leap to that conclusion! I mean, this horrible thing did happen right after our expedition."

Dusknoir spoke up, "Just one moment! I'm afraid I don't quite understand… There was a Time Gear at Fogbound Lake? I did not know that… Did I not hear quite a different tale about your recent expedition? I recall being told that your expedition to Fogbound Lake ended in failure."

Wigglytuff spoke up regretfully, "I apologize, great Dusknoir. We made a promise. So we couldn't tell even you, Dusknoir."

"Anyway…" Chatot spoke up. "A lone intruder slipped into Fogbound Lake… knocked out Uxie… and made off with the Time Gear."

Nate spoke, keeping the concern in his voice even though he knew the answer, "Is Uxie all right?!" Grovyle wouldn't kill without reason.

"Yes," Chatot answered, "Uxie is fine."

"He's under the protection of Magnezone's squad," Wigglytuff added. "No need to worry."

Martha let out a breath of relief, "Whew! I'm glad to hear that!"

"Wait, there's more," Chatot said. "According to Uxie's victim statement… The intruder's identity has been revealed."

Bidoof stepped forward, "Then fess up! What kind of critter are we dealing with?"

Chatot tilted his head, "There's already a wanted poster for the thief. See for yourselves."

"This Pokémon goes by the name of Grovyle…" Martha said, seeming to be focused on the poster.

Bidoof shook slightly, "Oof! That's one nasty piece of work!"

'We knew this would happen eventually, Grovyle…' Nate thought. 'That's why you had me stay here at the guild. Even if Dusknoir didn't show up, you had me here because others here trust me.' Nate shook his head, 'But I don't want their trust. In the end, it will be me betraying them in their minds.' Martha saw him shake his head, but she just chalked it up to disbelief that this could happen.

"This wanted poster just arrived," Chatot explained. Nate, Martha and Bidoof turned to Chatot as he continued, "It was issued based on Uxie's statement. It arrived as part of an all-points bulletin."

"Oh, that figures!" Bidoof exclaimed. "That's why all those Pelipper were flying around!"

Chatot nodded, "Officer Magnezone obviously doesn't want to see things worsen. They've put a remarkably high bounty on the thieving Grovyle."

Martha looked down, "We promised Uxie… We promised not to reveal the secret of Fogbound Lake. But then this happens…"

"We didn't leak the secret, but…" Sunflora said. "I'm ashamed to show my face in front of Uxie now!"

"Hey, hey!" Corphish shouted. "Here's what sticks in my craw! The view there has been ruined! And, hey, hey! I just can't forgive that!"

Suddenly, there was a growling coming from Wigglytuff as he looked down. Chimecho spoke up, "Hey! Guildmaster…!"

Everybody turned as his growling got louder, Chatot speaking worriedly, "G-G-Guildmaster!" The guild started to quake, as Wigglytuff started growling even louder.

"Urrrrrrrrr…! YOOM…TAH!"

There was the usual flash of light, and Wigglytuff looked serious for the first time that Nate had known him.

Everybody was stunned by the sudden change of expression, but Wigglytuff ignored it and shouted, "Everyone! We'll catch Grovyle! We'll catch that thief! I vow it upon the name of Wigglytuff's Guild!" He glanced at Chatot and said, "Chatot, if you will!"

Chatot stood at attention, "Y-yes!" He addressed the apprentices, "Okay, everyone! From here on out, we are putting our full focus on capturing Grovyle! Do your best to bring Grovyle to justice!"

As the other apprentices, including Martha, shouted their approval Nate remained quiet. It would be hard to keep up his act, but he would have to soldier on, or Dusknoir would capture both of them.

As if reacting to Nate's thoughts, Dusknoir spoke up. "Wigglytuff… I believe I understand the situation now. I will join in the guild's pursuit of Grovyle."

Wigglytuff smiled, but not as wide as he usually did. "Th-thank you, great Dusknoir!"

Bidoof smiled, "Golly! Having the great Dusknoir in our corner is mighty heartening!"

"Hey, hey! We're honored!" Corphish added.

Dusknoir waved his hand, "No, no! It's my honor entirely."

"At present, the Guildmaster and I shall confer!" Chatot called out. "We will devise a strategy for finding Grovyle. In the meantime! You should all start preparing to go on searches! Return here when you are ready to leave. Okay, everyone! Let's outdo ourselves!"

Nate forced himself to cheer, even though every fiber of his being wanted to retch at the thought of capturing Grovyle. He also forced his face to have the right mix of determination and excitement when Martha turned to him and said, "We should hurry and get ready, Ian! Let's start preparing with a visit to Treasure Town."

Their visit was brief, simply restocking their supplies and dropping off extra items. Along the way, they passed Team Flare, who was also getting ready to go searching for Grovyle.

Upon return to the guild, the other apprentices reported in shortly afterward. Chatot looked around to make sure that everyone was present, then spoke up, "First and foremost! This should go without saying… Grovyle appears wherever Time Gears are located. But where are the Time Gears? That is the question! But we have no answer. And, therefore, we have relied upon the great Dusknoir for ideas. Together, we've identified several locations where the Time Gears may be found. We ask that everyone split into groups and investigate each of these potential sites."

Wigglytuff handed Chatot a Wonder Map and Chatot opened it to point at different locations as he spoke. He turned to each of the Pokémon as he addressed them. "First, Loudred and Corphish! I'm assigning you to the Eastern Forest. That's the huge forest far to the east, of course." He said, pointing toward the top right corner of the identified area of the map.

"Got it!" Loudred nodded. Corphish added, "Hey, hey! We'll do our best!"

"Next, Bidoof, Dugtrio, and Sunflora! We'd like you to search Crystal Cave." Chatot said while pointing to a cave marked with blue crystals in the mountain region. Each of them offered their reply.

"Yup yup! Will do!"

"Understood."

"Oh my gosh! I'll search hard!"

Chatot turned to Nate and Martha, pointing to an arid region towards the north, right at the edge of the unidentified area, "And, finally, Ian and Martha! You two are assigned to the Northern Desert. The area on the map is obscured by clouds, but the dry terrain starts in this area here. That's why it's rumored that a vast desert extends from that point onward. We suspect that a Time Gear is hidden in the depths of the desert. That is where we're sending you to investigate."

Nate did what he did best when Chatot was talking. Stand there with a somewhat serious passive expression and nod at the right times. Meanwhile, Martha said, "Okay! We understand!"

"Um…" Diglett started. "What about me…?"

Chatot got back on topic, addressing the whole group again, "Diglett will remain at the guild. We can't very well leave the guild completely unattended."

"Croagunk and I are staying behind at the guild too," Chimecho added. "The work we do at the guild is important too. Let's make sure we keep up our good work!"

"Y-yes!" Diglett nodded.

Wigglytuff took over, saying, "Now, let's find the Time Gears, everyone! YOOM… TAH!"

"HOORAY!"

Everyone left, but Dusknoir approached Martha and Nate as they were getting ready to leave too, "The Northern Desert is not only wide and deep, it is raked by vicious sandstorms. Please, do take care!"

Nate nodded, "Thanks for the warning."

Martha turned to Nate and said, "Ian! Let's try our best!"

"Right," Nate said. "I hope the recruits haven't gone home yet." It was still only a little past noon when they had gotten back from Amp Plains, since they had left in the early morning.

* * *

"Come on, guys, lay off. He's obviously not up to anything."

The rest of the recruits turned to Martha, surprised at her presence and what she said. There had been mixed reactions among the recruits after Wattson's opening statement. Psymon and Tisha, who already knew, took it neutrally while not necessarily liking it, but knowing it was going to happen anyway. Regina, who had bad experiences with outlaws while on the team, was adamantly against him being with them. Yrja wasn't scared in the slightest, knowing that if he tried anything, "Ian," Martha and the police force would crash down on him like a horde of Golems. Maribel was of a similar mind, but she did, however, ask a lot of personal questions about what his work was, how outlaw hideouts were made, etc. etc. Martha actually had to break up the group since they were all crowded on one side of the table, except for Augustus, who was still in his seat, surprisingly.

The instant that Nate and Martha arrived, he got up and walked over, pointing to Nate. "You. Me. Outside. Now."

Martha sighed, "Augustus, can't it wait? We have a really important-"

"No, it's fine, Martha," Nate interrupted. "He's waited all this time to take out his frustration on me instead of bothering Wattson. After all, it was _my_ idea to have him join, so it was very mature to leave Wattson alone."

The implications did not go unnoticed by the other recruits, some feeling shame for their actions and feelings against the former henchman. Nate continued, "Fill in the rest of them on the current situation. I'll have my talk with Augustus and fill him in on the way back." Turning to Augustus, he smiled, "Would you mind if we took this somewhere private? I'd rather not make a scene."

Augustus grunted and started walking out of the café, Nate following behind. Martha sighed and began briefing the remaining recruits.

* * *

Augustus wound up choosing the beach as their meeting place since the crossroads were already occupied with some of the Pokémon from Wigglytuff's Guild. Once there, he turned around and took a deep breath with a look of anger on his face.

As Augustus spent the next five minutes chastising Nate for letting someone like Wattson go unpunished and even letting him get protection with their own team, Nate calmly let him vent everything out.

"Even though he's powerless without his gang, he shouldn't be allowed to walk free from his crimes!" Augustus ranted. "Are you out of your mind?! Don'tcha realize that, if he still had his gang, he would've happily continued being an outlaw?!"

"But he doesn't," Nate countered. "Also, the information he offered the police will put away many more dangerous outlaws."

"Assuming it's correct!" Augustus huffed.

Nate shook his head, "If he was lying, he wouldn't have wanted the band representing his probation, or to stick around. He'd go into hiding."

"Why accept him?" Augustus asked, not deterred. "Why not leave him to the police? What does he have to offer, really? He's an Electric-type that can learn fighting moves! He'd be just a copy of you!"

"Wrong," Nate said. "Given enough time to train, he'll grow stronger and surpass me."

Augustus was stopped short by that clarification. Had he heard that right? Hesitantly he asked with a laugh, "Oi, have you got all your orbs in your bag? You're acting like he's your replacement."

Nate continued looking at him seriously.

* * *

"So we have to take a trip to the Northern Desert to search for a Time Gear," Martha finished.

Psymon raised his hand, "If it's sandstorms you'll be traveling through, I'll tag along! My Cloud Nine will make this much easier!"

Martha looked over, "Are you sure that you're all right to go on? You just got back from a mission this morning."

Psymon downed the rest of his Apple Juice in one gulp and put the glass back down. "I'll always be ready to help!"

Martha nodded and then muttered to herself, "Now, let's see… a desert. Water-types wouldn't ordinarily survive, but some hardy Grass-types might. They're strong against Ground-types, so it would be easy for them to live there. So Maribel, Regina, Augustus or Yrja would be able to come along as the fourth member."

She got into deeper thought. 'But Ground-types typically learn Rollout too, and all of them are weak to that. Also, Maribel, Regina and Augustus rely on close-quarters for combat, so it would be best to have another long-distance fighter.'

Having only paused for a brief moment, she said, "Yrja, you've been training the past few days while we were out, right?"

Yrja nodded, "Yes, Chad has been helping me learn to fight, and I've learned two new Ice-type moves."

Martha nodded, "Then you'll be good against both Ground-types and Grass-types, and you'll be far enough away that they won't be able to get to you with Rollout easily. Well, with that settled, all we have to do is wait for-"

"Me?"

The team turned and saw Nate back at the entrance with Augustus behind him. Nate walked up and took his seat next to Martha as Augustus went around the table back to his place and climbed into his chair.

Nate turned to Martha, "So, who are we taking to the Northern Desert?"

"Oh, uh, Psymon and Yrja," Martha answered. "Cloud Nine will cancel out the sandstorm's effect on us, and Yrja's ice moves will work against the Ground-type Pokémon and I have a suspicion that there will be some Grass-type Pokémon too, so she'll cover that as well."

Nate thought about it and then nodded, "And her long distance fighting style will help her avoid Ground-types' typical Rollout attack. Well done, Martha, very well thought out. Shall we get going right away, then?"

Martha nodded, "Right!" She turned to Psymon and Yrja and said, "We've already stocked up on supplies, so we'll be leaving right away. Let's go!"

As they were leaving, Martha took a look at how quiet Augustus was, and then whispered to Nate, "Ian, what did you say to him?"

"I told him something to put things into perspective for him," Nate answered with a shrug.

Martha nodded, "So you told him why you let Wattson on the team?"

"…Yes."

* * *

It was a somewhat lengthy trip to the desert, the day trickling into late afternoon as Team Rapid made their way to the other side of the inlet and continued north, following the Wonder Map as they went further north.

Yrja and Martha started panting slightly as the air got dryer. Psymon was perfectly fine because of his Damp ability. Nate didn't mind it too much, because the constant heat on his face was a reminder of what he was fighting for. There was no sun where he came from. It was just perpetual darkness. Even if the heat was somewhat unpleasant to Nate, it was a small price to pay for having everything else that came with the sun.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance and Martha spoke up, "Here we are. If Dusknoir's theory is right, a Time Gear should be here somewhere, which means we might find Grovyle here."

"But where should we even start looking?" Yrja asked.

Martha shrugged, "Not sure. Perhaps we should start by going as far as we can."

"Then I'll whip up the Cloud Nine!" Psymon enthused. He rubbed his hands together, and some of the water on his skin started forming into a small cloud around his hands. Soon after it formed, he held it up and blew on it, spreading pieces over the rest of the squad, covering each of them in a white vapor-like barrier. After Psymon was satisfied with his work, he held the cloud close to him and the rest of it formed a barrier around his body.

Martha looked at the barrier around her as she said, "That's a neat ability, Psymon!"

"Yes," Yrja agreed. "When I learn Hail, this will be good for having the rest of the team not hurt."

Nate decided to cut in, since they were burning daylight. "All right, you can discuss tactics when we get back, or tomorrow. Let's go."

Martha nodded, focusing back on their assignment, "Ian has a point. We should get going before it gets dark."

"Right!" Both of the recruits said.

Team Rapid made their way into the dungeon, the rocky plateaus changing to suit a mystery dungeon. Sand was blowing everywhere in a vicious sandstorm, but the misty barrier around them inexplicably kept all sand away from them. It even seemed to filter it out of the air they breathed, luckily enough. All along the dungeon, Psymon seemed very pleased to be of such a big help.

Along the way, they met and defeated an Aron who then offered to join their team. Martha thought about it and then decided to let her join, since the only two that had advantage against Ice-types – but only through moves, not type – were "Ian" and Wattson. Plus, her steel armor showed that she could take a beating. Nate didn't care. All types were covered – even if some were only by a single teammate – so any more additions were all on Martha.

With the Aron, now dubbed Ferra, being sent back to Treasure Town, Team Rapid continued their exploration. Psymon and Yrja's assistance made the exploration through the desert practically a cakewalk in Nate's opinion. Even with the sand blowing around them still, there was no hardship since the cloud barrier diverted all of it away from their bodies.

Another request to join their team came on the ninth floor, from a Trapinch. Martha dismissed him, saying that they already had a Ground-type teammate, but the Trapinch wasn't deterred.

"Can't you see I'm an investment?" the Trapinch aggressively challenged. "Once I evolve, I'll be a speedy Dragon-type too!"

Martha thought about it. On the one hand, it was always good to have extra help, and a Dragon-type could certainly be a useful addition. On the other, they already had quite a few recruits, and they weren't exactly hurting for type coverage. They had Ground-type moves with "Ian's" Dig and Tisha's Bone Club. And Dragon-type moves were only good against other dragons, and they had Yrja's Ice-type moves. Then again, while Dragon wasn't _good_ against anything new, it wasn't _bad_ against anything but Steel-types…

"Martha," Nate gently reminded, "we have a schedule to keep. Is he in or not?"

Looking to the sun nearing the western horizon, Martha decided that they could always use the extra hand. Besides, they already had Regina, who was also counting on her ability to contribute coming in once she evolved. What was one more proficient in waiting?

Martha agreed and the Trapinch was nicknamed Tempest and he was warped back to the guild as well. As Team Rapid resumed their journey, Martha inwardly noted that they would probably need a bigger table to hold their morning briefings.

The rest of the exploration passed without much event. Once they reached the farthest part of the Northern Desert, they came into a clearing that had several pools of quicksand, one larger than the others in the center. Marth yelped in surprise and stopped before the team could come any closer.

"Careful, there's quicksand here," she warned. The rest of the squad stopped and looked around the clearing. She looked around, "I think we've reached the deepest part of the dungeon, but we haven't seen anything that hints to hiding a Time Gear."

Nate said nothing. He knew that they were standing right over the Time Gear, figuratively and literally, but either Martha would find it herself, or not at all. He wanted to avoid direct confrontation with Grovyle if he could help it. Whether he was here or not, finding a Time Gear would mean staying here to guard it. That would lead to encountering Grovyle.

Yrja sighed, "So we made this trip for nothing?"

"Not for nothing," Psymon said, choosing to be optimistic. "We got two new recruits out of the experience."

"Still," Nate said, keeping his voice even, "since this seems to be a dead end, it appears this mission was a failure." He knew precisely where to go, but he figured fixating on the mission's success or failure was an "Ian" thing to do, given his past interactions with the rest of the team.

Martha shook her head, "Yes, that's a bit disappointing… Oh well, nothing we can really do about it. We'll get back to the guild and report what we found. Ian, if you would?"

Nate nodded and took the Escape Orb he always kept stocked in the Treasure Bag.

* * *

When everybody had reported their findings, Martha spoke up in shock.

"W-what…?! Nobody found anything…?"

Dugtrio's three heads spoke in unison, "Disappointing."

"That's what happened, alright!" Sunflora added.

Corphish spoke up, "Hey, hey! We went out to the Eastern Forest, just like we were told! But, hey! There's nothing really there but the forest!"

"And as for Crystal Cave," Bidoof said while looking at something in his paw, "yup yup, it was chock-full of crystals! Mighty pretty cave, I tell you! It was so pretty that I just couldn't help… helping myself to a crystal."

Sunflora and Dugtrio turned to Bidoof and saw the blue-green crystal in his paw. Sunflora leaned closer, "Ooh! When did you pick that up? I was with you the whole time! I never noticed!"

"Bidoof…" Dugtrio began in a low tone, seeming very cross. "Our objective was to find a Time Gear. We all failed to achieve our objective… But you had the nerve to collect a souvenir, totally unrelated to the mission… Who do you think you are?!"

Bidoof cringed and apologized. Meanwhile, Nate looked down at the blue gem necklace Martha had gotten made for him. 'I guess you have to succeed in a mission to earn a souvenir.' Jokes aside, he realized that Bidoof's crystal was a new factor. He would have to think on this later tonight.

Chatot turned to Dusknoir, "Dusknoir, sir, I regret to say it. Our search efforts ended fruitlessly."

In response, Dusknoir scratched the side of his head, "Ah, this is vexing. I thought the search locations we chose held promise. I blame my lack of knowledge. I am truly chastened."

"My goodness, no! You mustn't blame yourself!" Chatot exclaimed. "Why it was only thanks to your vast knowledge that we came up with our plan, Dusknoir!"

'He did the same thing I did and picked up a few books, Chatot,' Nate internally commented. He was really getting sick of having to watch Dusknoir play everybody around him, and being able to do nothing about it. Nate wanted nothing more than to confront Dusknoir and see if a ghost could handle 100,000 volts to the head. **(AN: Thunderbolt's Japanese name translates to "100,000 volts.")**

Nate mercilessly squashed that thought and focused back on the conversation. At that moment, Dusknoir said, "Let us reconsider our plan. We'll devise a different strategy tomorrow!"

Chatot nodded with a smile, "Yes, let's do that! And may we find success together!" Turning to the rest of the guild, Chatot said, "That's how it stands, everyone! That's enough work for today. Rest up! Prepare for tomorrow!"

"UNDERSTOOD!" everyone responded.

After dinner that night, Martha bid Nate good night, leaving him some time with his thoughts.

'That crystal. If I don't nip that route in the bud, there'll almost certainly be trouble. With how Martha thinks the situation is, she could reveal my Dimensional Scream ability if push comes to shove. Tomorrow I'll nudge her towards going to Crystal Cave. With her seemingly innate desire to touch things, like in Waterfall Cave and on the expedition, she'll probably figure out the secret to go to the lower part of the cave. But on the subject of crystals…'

Nate grabbed the oval-cut gem that was hanging on the silk thread around his neck and looked at it as the moonlight from the open window caused it to sparkle. Martha used her purple gem necklace to have somewhere to attach her Explorer Badge, but Nate kept his pinned to the Treasure Bag. As Nate stared at the resplendent gem, his thoughts were on anything but its beauty.

'Someday soon, I'll have to get rid of this,' Nate concluded. Not because he wanted to, but it was a fact. The last thing he needed on his true mission was sentiment. Leaving the necklace where it was for now, Nate decided to go to sleep. He would need all his wits about him tomorrow.

He had strings to pull, disclosure to avoid and a despised enemy to keep in the dark.

* * *

The next morning, both Nate and Martha woke up to go to the morning address. After the morning cheers, Chatot cleared his throat before addressing the apprentices.

"Presently, the great Dusknoir and I are working out a new strategy. While we develop this strategy… We ask you to search for the Time Gears on your own initiative. That is all. All right, everyone! Work hard again today!"

"HOORAY!"

Martha looked a little bit disappointed that there were no new leads. Turning to Nate, she asked, "Well, we're supposed to search on our own today, Ian. Any ideas?"

'Too easy.'

Crossing his arms and pretending to think about it, Nate said, "Well, the Eastern Forest is out of the question, since it's too far away to explore in one day. But how about we try looking around Crystal Cave?"

Martha tilted her head in confusion, "Crystal Cave? But Bidoof, Sunflora and Dugtrio were there just yesterday and they found nothing."

"A second opinion is never a bad thing," Nate countered. "And it's not like we have any other leads. Who knows? Maybe we'll find something they didn't, like how you found the Drought Stone on the expedition."

"You're saying we might get lucky?" Martha said.

Nate shrugged, "Luck is a part of skill too. Anyway, do _you_ have any other ideas besides searching the whole continent?"

Martha looked down. They really had no better options. She nodded and said, "We'll find one of the apprentices that was there yesterday and ask them where Crystal Cave was."

"I saw Chatot pointing at the map," Nate decided to cut in as he took out the Wonder Map. "He was pointing in the center, towards the north, so I'd bet…" Nate pretended to glance around the central region drawing itself on the parchment and pointed at Crystal Cave, "…I think this one's it. The one north of Apple Woods."

Martha looked at the illustration on the map. The tiny red stone cave had crystals on top of and surrounding it. She nodded, "Seems as good a guess as any."

"But," Nate added, "we don't know what'll be there, so we'd better do some more training at Marowak Dojo before going."

With their course of action decided for the day, they left the guild and Martha was thinking about who they should take to Crystal Cave.

"If it's a cave, it'll have primarily Rock-types, we should take Tisha and Ferra," Martha said. "You can handle any Water-types that might be there, and-"

"No."

Martha turned to Nate, stunned at the rejection of her strategy. Nate turned to her and explained, "Bear in mind that we'll be going through the cave, but we'll also be running the risk of meeting Grovyle himself. A Ground-type like Tisha would be slaughtered. And while Ferra's steel armor resists Grass-type moves, bear in mind that her special defense is very weak. One move that isn't physical and she could be in real trouble. I'll handle the Water-types of the cave, but we need recruits that are strong against Rock, Ground, and Grass-types."

While Martha nodded and absorbed the information, thinking of a new strategy, Nate was internally seething at his situation. He couldn't just let a slip like that go; otherwise it would look suspicious since he was supposed to be working to catch Grovyle too. Having to help Martha optimize their squad to take down his best friend made him want to bash his head against a tree. His only solace was the fact that it would all be to change history.

'It will all be worth it in the end,' Nate mentally assured himself. 'History will be changed; the planet's paralysis will be averted. It's all for the mission, it's all for the mission…'

Nate was still mentally chanting that phrase like a mantra to compose himself when Martha got his attention. Shoving his mental inhibitions down, he turned with a neutral expression, "Yes?"

"You're right, Ian," Martha said. "Even if we make it to the cave, it'll all be for nothing if we don't have a squad that can take on Grovyle. We'll take Augustus and Yrja. It'll be pretty risky going through the cave, but it'll be better for facing off against Grovyle."

Not trusting himself to speak, Nate just nodded in response.

* * *

**My gosh, I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I updated, that the chapter was shorter, and I'm even more sorry that this will be the last chapter that I'll be posting. I'll write when I can, but these chapters are very long, so it'll probably take a month-and-a-half to two months to get to post another chapter, betareading and updating Kid Icarus: Wings of Nature notwithstanding. I'll see you all when I see you all.**


	15. Hide Your Face

**I worked hard to finish this chapter now. There's a reason that I'm posting this chapter now, which I'll get to later. Let's not dwell on it for now, though. On with the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 15: Hide Your Face, So the World Will Never Find You

Once Martha and Nate met up with their recruits and outlined the plan, they went to Kangaskhan Storage with Yrja and Augustus in tow. After depositing their items, the four of them went to Marowak Dojo for intensive training. They didn't know how strong the enemies of Crystal Cave would be, and there was the chance of running into Grovyle.

Even with the new moves they learned, Nate knew that Grovyle was still leagues above all of them in skill and speed. He didn't say anything when Martha had decided that they had trained enough for the journey ahead.

After restocking their items, Nate led them to Crystal Cave, using the Wonder Map to plot their path. They arrived in the early afternoon, and Martha looked ahead into the darkness only illuminated by crystals shining from the limited sunlight.

She let out a slight whistle, "Wow, I can see why Bidoof was so keen on getting a crystal for himself. If we weren't on a mission ourselves, I'd probably want to take one too. Since we're searching for a Time Gear, it'll likely be somewhere at the deepest portion of the dungeon."

"Let's hope our luck holds out," Nate said.

Team Rapid made their way down into the cave and felt the familiar shift in the atmosphere as they entered the mystery dungeon itself. Martha was transfixed by the glittering crystals that decorated the walls of the dungeon, but the sound of Nate clearing his throat brought her back to the mission at hand.

On the way down, Nate very quickly found himself annoyed by the Gravelers. It was bad enough with the Geodudes on Mt. Bristle, but now they had Ground-type moves. Luckily, he had Focus Punch, provided Yrja didn't hit them from a distance first.

A Beldum offered to join their team, but was rejected due to them already having a Steel-type, and a Psychic type not providing any new advantages. Even versatility-wise, Tempest would trump him with his new Dragon-type moves.

Aside from one or two close calls where they got boxed into a narrow corridor, they ventured down Crystal Cave with relative ease. After 11 floors, they reached the farthest point that they could of the dungeon.

Martha looked around, it was a spacious chamber with three massive crystals arranged in a triangle and a Kangaskhan Rock nearby.

'Come on, Martha,' Nate mentally urged. 'Make the connection.'

Yrja looked around as well, saying, "Hm, it seems to be another dead end…"

"Well, we can't expect a huge sign that says 'Time Gear this way,' can we?" Augustus grumbled.

Martha looked around and her eyes fell on the Kangaskhan Rock.

"Wait… If this isn't a waypoint of some sort… Why is there a Kangaskhan Rock?"

'…Okay, not what I was going for, but you're getting warmer…' Nate said, walking towards one of the crystals, the one on the right that was colored yellow. As he made his way, pretending to marvel at their splendor, Martha took them in, observing them, and Nate could practically hear the gears in her head turning.

Martha made her way over too, staring at the purple crystal towards the back as if she was expecting it to do something.

"What's wrong, Martha?" Yrja asked.

Martha responded inattentively, "Nothing… It's just something about the way these crystals are arranged seems suspicious… On the way here, we didn't see any particular crystals out of the ordinary. These seem like they could be important…"

At that point, Nate was getting tired of waiting and decided to speed things up a little. Letting out a bit of a yawn to get the others' attention on him, he sat down and started leaning back to casually prop himself against the yellow crystal with his eyes closed.

"Well, I'm a bit winded from traveling down here, so I'm gonna sit down for a-" The instant the back of Nate's head touched the crystal, the other three Pokémon collectively gasped. He opened one eye, feigning tired confusion, "Hm? What is it?"

"Ian…" Martha started, "the crystal!"

Nate slowly turned his head to glance at the crystal he was leaning on, "What about- Whoa!" He jolted upright, taking a step away from the now blue crystal. "What happened?!" Of course, he already knew this secret, but he had to keep up his masquerade.

Augustus stepped forward, "The instant you touched it, it changed color!"

Martha touched the purple crystal and it changed to an orange color, "This one changes too!"

As the other three were talking about what it could mean, Nate was going through a conundrum himself. 'I thought there would be a huge risk of exposing my ability to the recruits with touching something so closely tied to a Time Gear, but… nothing happened.' He looked at Martha touching the third crystal to change it from red to green.

Could it be that after Nate's realization last night, Martha no longer had that implicit trust that triggered the Dimensional Scream before? The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. 'After all, one day, I'm going to take the trust that everyone has for me… and betray it. They'll try to stop me.'

"So… if we try every combination of colors, we're bound to get a result at some point!" Martha said.

Augustus turned to Martha, "What? That'll take forever!"

"Have you forgotten this is for the sake of the world, Augustus?" Yrja scolded. "Have some patience!"

Nate walked over, handing the Treasure Bag to Martha, "Good enough for me. Martha, you go ahead and replace the items we used in Crystal Cave. Also, update the Adventure Log, if you don't mind. Augustus, Yrja and I will get started."

The three of them stood in front of a crystal each, and Nate said, "Alright, let's start by making them all the same colors, so we have an accurate starting point." He purposefully stood by the blue one, marking it as his position, so they wouldn't change it. Crossing his arms, he bided his time while Augustus and Yrja cycled through the colors.

Martha had finished replacing the items used up (there weren't that many), but when she reached up to grab the book from the statue's mouth, she got a look at her paws. That's when she realized something.

"Ian, you're the only one of us that has thumbs. Why did you have me-"

As she was talking, Augustus made the last crystal blue, and they glimmered. But what cut her off was the tremor that started shaking the cave. After that, a ring of energy seemed to travel from the ground through the crystals before firing out of the tips. The three energy bolts started forming a sphere in the center.

Forgetting her question, Martha called to everyone, "Quick! Get back!"

As they all ran back towards the corridor they came in from, Nate couldn't help but mentally pat himself on the back, even as he kept a stoic expression. 'I hate having to keep up this 24/7 charade, but I seem to have gotten good at it. I sped up the process and it can all be attributed to luck and coincidence.'

As the energy pulsed and crackled, a massive crystal sprouted out of the earth with many smaller crystals formed along its smooth surface. Among these small crystals, there was a fissure that led further underground.

Martha stepped forward, and Nate said, "Well, looks like you were right Martha, and we got real lucky that we found the right combination so soon."

"Maybe it leads to the lake where Azelf lives…" Martha thought aloud. "So those crystals were the key after all! Let's go, Ian, Yrja, Augustus!"

The three other team members nodded and Team Rapid rushed through the new opening, heading into another mystery dungeon.

The lower dungeon, Crystal Crossing, proved itself to be more difficult when the team found themselves set upon by a bunch of Bagon. Luckily, they were no match for Yrja's Powder Snow attack, which covered the whole half of the room the dragons were standing in. There turned out to be Water-types, as Martha had predicted, but Nate took care of them in short order as well.

Along the way, they also found a TM for Hyper Beam. Useless for now, but Martha had Nate put it in the Treasure Bag to move it to storage.

As they ventured further and further down, Nate wondered how to go about this. By his count, he knew that Grovyle had three of the five Time Gears they needed. They were headed for one of last ones.

'Aside from Augustus, I could probably knock out every last one of them before they knew what hit them… And it wouldn't take _that_ much longer to take down Augustus and get the Time Gear. Then I could meet up with Grovyle and…' Nate internally sighed. 'No, it won't be that simple, unfortunately… Martha has the Relic Fragment, which I _know_ is tied to the Hidden Land in some way, and even if I took it, Chatot might have valuable information about how it's connected. I can't burn that bridge… yet.'

Soon, after they went down another staircase, they felt the air shift and the walls became less uniform. Knowing they reached the end, Team Rapid increased their pace and the corridor widened into an expansive cavern. Contained within was a massive lake decorated with crystals around the border and some sprouting out of the lake. Martha temporarily marveled at the beauty before she noticed a familiar green glow towards the center.

She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look. "That glow… Could it be…? Come on, team, there's an island with a narrow strip of land connecting it to the shore. Let's get a closer look."

The group followed the shore until they reached the land bridge. They crossed it easily enough, but as they neared the edge of the island, all the light suddenly vanished, surrounding the area in darkness. A voice spoke up from seemingly nowhere.

"Who are you? Why do you trespass on my sanctuary?!"

Team Rapid looked around, and Martha spoke up somewhat timidly, "What? We just came to look for a Time Gear!"

Nate sucked in a breath through his teeth before muttering, "_Really_ poor choice of words, Martha…"

The voice spoke up in a stoic tone, with a mixture of resignation and determination, "I should have known that it would be me next. But I won't surrender the Time Gear!"

A somewhat small Pokémon, only as tall as Martha surfaced from the waters of the lake. He looked like Uxie, except his head was colored blue and he his crest was a different shape, having three points instead of Uxie's rounded crest.

"Who… who are you?" Martha asked in surprise.

The lake Pokémon scowled, "I am Azelf! Here at the Crystal Lake, I protect the Time Gear."

Nate sighed and shook his head, "Let's not waste time on trivial introductions. Guardian, we are _not_ here to steal the Time Gear."

"You aren't…?" Azelf asked hesitantly, faltering a bit before scowling again. "Then who?"

Nate counted his blessings that this was the Spirit of Willpower. If they had gone to Mesprit, she might have attacked them right away out of fear and anger, being the Spirit of Emotion.

"A Pokémon named Grovyle has been stealing the Time Gears," Martha explained, having regained her composure. "We of Wigglytuff's Guild have been assigned to search for the remaining Time Gears to protect them."

"A likely story," Azelf said, still not convinced and staying between them and the lake. "However, as you can see, the Time Gear here is protected, and will remain so under my watch. If you really bear no ill intentions, then leave at-"

Before he could finish, Azelf suddenly cringed. He then turned to look off in the distance, his mind seeming to be far away. Gingerly, Martha spoke up, "…Azelf?"

Azelf's eyes closed and his head tilted down, "It seems… you were speaking the truth. One such Pokémon defeated Mesprit and stole the Time Gear she was protecting."

Martha looked down and muttered in frustration. Nate, however, while he was looking down as well and playing his part, was secretly glad that he wouldn't have to fight Grovyle right now.

Nate also, more than ever, felt the temptation to just use the move he learned, but didn't tell anybody about, Discharge. 'I could surely incapacitate everyone, and if I'm lucky, paralyze Augustus… We'd have all five Time Gears…' he thought. No. Nate had been over this. No matter how easy it may seem, he had to play smart, like Grovyle. Think in the long run.

Although, he was aware that since Martha would now tell the guild about this Time Gear, that they would all be coming back here to defend it. Most likely immediately.

'It was unfortunately necessary,' Nate thought. 'But now Dusknoir won't find out about my Dimensional Scream ability.'

* * *

Using their badges, Team Rapid returned to the guild, Augustus and Yrja being instructed to get some Oran Juice to replenish their energy and meet back at the crossroads. Nate and Martha went to report their findings to Chatot, Wigglytuff and Dusknoir.

The first thing Martha told about was how Mesprit was likely injured and in danger. Upon hearing the information on her location that Azelf gave, Chatot contacted Officer Magnezone. He then instructed Nate and Martha to hold their report until Magnezone arrived, to save effort of telling the same information twice.

Nate was perfectly fine with it. He knew how fast Grovyle traveled. It was still the early afternoon. Grovyle would likely be there within a couple of hours, especially since Crystal Cave was almost directly east of the Northern Desert. Still, every minute would count in his favor.

Once Magnezone arrived with his two Magnemite deputies, Martha immediately asked if they found Mesprit all right.

"ZZZT! We have Mesprit under our protection. Her safety is assured. ZZZT!" Magnezone explained. "ZZZT! Please report what occurred at Crystal Cave. ZZZT!"

Nate and Martha gave their full report while the officers and the Pokémon of Wigglytuff's Guild listened attentively.

Magnezone spoke up after they were done, "ZZZT! We shall dedicate all resources to setting a perimeter around Crystal Cave. ZZZT! We must all cooperate to bring this criminal to justice! ZZZT! That is all. Now please excuse us!"

After Magnezone and his two deputies left, Chatot said, "My, my! I'm absolutely astonished! So there was a lake hidden deep within Crystal Cave? And a Time Gear was also down there?"

Martha nodded, seeming a bit down, "Yes. And it's great that we can guard that one now, but… Azelf told us that Mesprit was in a lake underneath the Northern Desert. We were right on top of it, and we couldn't get there to protect it."

"Don't feel bad," Bidoof said. "We were at Crystal Cave yesterday and didn't find anything, but you did, yup yup! You all did really great work!"

"Hey, hey! I think so too!" Corphish added. "Team Rapid can be really proud!"

"If you _had_ gone back to the Northern Desert," Sunflora said, "sure, you might have had a chance of catching Grovyle, but now we _know_ where he'll strike next!"

Chatot spoke up, "Yes, and we shall mobilize immediately! Guildmaster! Please issue the call to duty!"

Everybody turned to Wigglytuff, but he said nothing, just standing there. Chatot called to him again, "Guildmaster! Hmm…? Guildmaster?" He moved closer to Wigglytuff and tried calling him again.

The only response Wigglytuff offered was to start snoring.

"H-hey, you gotta be kidding!" Corphish whispered.

Dugtrio's three heads leaned to get a closer look, "No! It looks like…!"

Sunflora sweat a bit, "He's fully asleep! With his eyes wide open too! Ewww!"

"Eeep! The Guildmaster is so very charming…" Chimecho commented with a sigh.

"When do you all suppose he took to snoozing?" Bidoof asked in a low tone.

Loudred wondered, "You think that maybe he's been asleep from the get-go?"

Chatot glanced at the apprentices and thought, 'Oh no! This just won't do! Everyone might notice that the Guildmaster is sleeping… I must rouse him somehow…'

Chatot started repeatedly calling for Wigglytuff's attention, "Guildmaster! Guildmaster!"

Soon, Wigglytuff responded, "…Huh…?"

"GUILDMASTER!"

"Chatot!"

Chatot calmed down, "YES, GUILDMASTER?" Then he caught himself and lowered his tone, "Er, I mean… Yes, Guildmaster…? Er, to take it from the top… there was…"

Wigglytuff ignored Chatot though and addressed the apprentices with his serious demeanor, "Everyone! We're going after Grovyle! YOOM… TAH!"

Everyone cheered, even though Chatot stood there stunned by the sudden change in Wigglytuff.

Dusknoir spoke up as everybody started making plans. "I will accompany you to Crystal Cave. Let's do our best, everyone."

"HOORAY!"

After picking up Augustus and Yrja, Team Rapid began their journey to return to Crystal Cave. They managed to get a head start on the other apprentices of the guild, since they had hardly needed to use any items in Crystal Crossing on their first run. In any case, they had all they needed, and their main focus was speed this time.

* * *

Deep within Crystal Crossing, Grovyle had arrived at Crystal Lake. Azelf stood in his way, and Grovyle dealt with him after a rather arduous battle. If he granted one thing, it was that the title "Spirit of Willpower" was well-earned.

Azelf was cut in a few places around his body and he was panting as he stood hunched on the ground, since he had lost too much energy to maintain his psychic levitation.

Grovyle gave him one last look before beginning to walk towards the end of the island, "Now I'll take it. The Time Gear." He saw no need to further beat the guardian when he was already at the end of his rope.

Right before he reached the end of the island, he heard Azelf mutter, "No… you can't take it… Never…"

Passing it off as futile mutterings of someone defeated, Grovyle looked over the glowing light in the middle of the lake. That was where it would be. The last Time Gear he needed. Turning his head slightly to speak over his shoulder, he said, "Azelf, wasn't it? I must apologize. But I must take that Time Gear."

"Ugh… w-wait…" Azelf called weakly. "Hold it… Grovyle…"

That gave Grovyle pause. "…You've heard of me?" He had been curious about the police perimeter, but he just burrowed under them with Dig. Could Nate have…?

"Grovyle the thief…" Azelf said, still exhausted, but with strength in his voice. "I heard from my fellow guardians and an exploration team that you were coming."

'An exploration team…? Only Nate could possibly know the secret of this place. He wouldn't throw away our mission. Something must have changed.'

"It would have been better if I just knocked you out directly…" Azelf continued. "But I also thought that I could possibly lose… So I set up a fail-safe system."

That snapped Grovyle out of his thinking and he turned to face Azelf.

"What?!"

In response, unseen by Grovyle, Azelf's eyes flashed briefly. A massive tremor shook the whole cave, and Grovyle shouted, "What did you do?!"

A thick casing of sharp crystals grew all over the surface of the lake, barring any easy access to the water where the Time Gear was located.

"This…" Grovyle said, in a state of disbelief and rage as he stared at the lake. "The lake is completely covered in crystals! There's no way of getting at the Time Gear!"

Azelf let out a faint laugh, "Grovyle… The Time Gear… You'll never get it now… Even in exchange for my life… You'll never…"

Grovyle turned to Azelf with a growl, "Y-you! I mean to have it, and I will get it! I need the Time Gear! Even if it means eliminating you, Azelf!"

"Stop!"

Grovyle was actually stopped short in surprise for a bit as four Pokémon rushed from the bridge that reached from the island to the mainland. The Pokémon got into a protective formation around Azelf, and among them was…

Grovyle covered his surprise with a scowl. He couldn't expose Nate. As far as everybody else was concerned, the two of them had never met before in their lives.

Martha scowled at Grovyle, "You're not taking the Time Gear, Grovyle!"

Grovyle was not intimidated. "I have no quarrel with you. Out of the way!" he ordered.

"No way!" Martha yelled. "You can't make me!" **(AN: Actual dialogue…)**

"Are you serious?!" Grovyle said, unbelieving of the childish teammate Nate was stuck with in his act. Letting his scowl turn to a look of cold resolve, he shifted into a stance where he was ready to dash forward. "Then if you won't stand aside… You leave me with no choice! I'll knock you out first! Just try to stop me!"

Without further preamble, Grovyle dashed forward, hoping to surprise them and make them break formation so he could pick them apart easier. Martha, surprisingly, met his rush head-on with a Quick Attack of her own. Augustus also skittered forward while Yrja rolled back to get some distance and Nate grabbed hold of Azelf and ran him back towards the bridge, away from the battle.

Grabbing hold of Martha, Grovyle leaped forward and drove her into the ground with a Slam attack. Augustus tried to leap at his flank and latch on with Leech Life, but Grovyle spotted him and dodged back, rushing him with Quick Attack once he landed. He knew better than to touch the Mushroom Pokémon for longer than an instant.

After knocking Augustus back, he felt a sudden chill in the air and dodged perpendicular to its direction, narrowly avoiding an Aurora Beam. Martha was watching as she pulled herself up, straining with her bruised body. 'So fast, and so strong! We thought we were good enough, but Grovyle is in a class of his own!' She shook her head clear, they couldn't give up! The least they could do was stall him until the others got here.

Nate rejoined the battle at that moment, urging Yrja to use Powder Snow. At the same time that she released it, he used Discharge, shooting it through the snow. The lightning arced through the snow and formed a net of water, ice and electricity. It swept over the half of the island Grovyle was on, but he just gritted his teeth and burrowed underground, rendering the attack useless.

Martha started panicking instantly. 'Oh no! He can use Dig?! Where is he?! Who'll he go after?!'

She got her answer when the ground under Nate's feet burst and Grovyle hit Nate with an uppercut to the stomach, sending him flying. Martha yelled, "Ian!"

Nate however, was almost completely fine, aside from his abdomen being a little sore. Something was off. This was not Grovyle's best.

However, neither Nate nor Martha had much time to dwell on the subject as Grovyle was soon hit with a cloud of greenish-yellow powder from Augustus, who had taken the opportunity to sneak up behind him.

Augustus' Spore attack caught Grovyle off guard and he took a breath of the sleeping agent. He tried to fight it, but from a combination of the powder, the slight fatigue of the battle and his nigh sleepless campaign to collect the Time Gears he was asleep on the ground in a matter of moments.

Martha let out a breath of relief, while Augustus grunted and Yrja moved closer, no longer having to keep her distance. They had Grovyle now.

Internally, Nate was horrified. This wasn't how it was supposed to go! He _knew_ how strong Grovyle was! 'He must be holding back because it's me!' Nate cursed to himself. 'He doesn't know the situation! I have to let him know without blowing my cover… That's it!'

Nate walked up and said, "Good work, Augustus. Now that he's unconscious, we can wait for the rest of the guild and Dusknoir to get here."

Nate had been speaking with a tone as if he was talking about the weather, but Grovyle's eyes snapped open the instant Dusknoir's name was mentioned.

Before anybody could react, Grovyle lashed out at the surrounding Pokémon viciously. Almost faster than the eye could see, he hit Martha with two Leaf Blades. Following that, he hit Augustus with a rapid barrage of punches all around his body, augmenting his speed with Agility at the same time. Lastly, he grabbed both Yrja and Nate and sapped energy from them using Absorb to heal himself before tossing them in the air and slashing them with one Leaf Blade each, knocking them in opposite directions.

All four Pokémon of Team Rapid had been knocked to the ground in the span of about five seconds. As Nate was face down on the floor, he internally smiled as he was fading out of consciousness. 'That's more like it, Grovyle.'

Grovyle was trying to compose himself, but he had a look in his eye that was very much like a cornered animal. So that was what had changed. He understood now. Nate must have _needed_ to disclose Crystal Cave's secret, one way or another, to keep his cover under Dusknoir's watchful eye. 'Even an alias… Even if I fail, I know you'll find a way to complete the mission, partner.'

He started walking towards Azelf, who was now unconscious, but Martha dragged herself in his path. Grovyle growled. Was there no end to this one's obstinacy?!

"Get out of the way!" he ordered.

Martha opened her mouth and found that she didn't have the strength to speak, so she settled for glaring at Grovyle.

Grovyle shook his head, "You refuse? Then you leave me no choice!" He lifted his arm and the leaves lined up to form a Leaf Blade. "This is all for the Time Gear! Forgive me!"

Martha shut her eyes as she saw Grovyle begin dashing forward.

"Stop!"

Martha opened her eyes again and saw Dusknoir holding Grovyle by the inside of his arm, causing the Leaf Blade to be stopped without cutting himself.

Grovyle grunted in surprise, "Gah!" 'So Nate was telling the truth.'

Dusknoir glanced back, "Are you all right, Martha? Please! Let me handle this!"

Unfortunately for him, the surprise of Dusknoir's appearance was diminished due to Nate's forewarning. And Dusknoir's attention was on Martha. Lining up the leaves of his other arm into another Leaf Blade, Grovyle cut into Dusknoir's arm and forced him to release his grip so that he could dash back.

Dusknoir yelled, more surprised than hurt, and glared at Grovyle. Grovyle glared right back, sheer hatred in his eyes.

"You…"

Dusknoir let out a single chuckle, "It's been too long! It wasn't easy finding you, Grovyle! Hm? Has your whelp of a partner deserted you? I expected to find the two of you together."

Grovyle visibly bristled at those words.

Meanwhile, Martha was taking all of this information in, even with her body near-unconscious from exhaustion. 'The great Dusknoir knows Grovyle?! And did he say "partner?!" There's another one just like Grovyle?!'

Grovyle continued glaring at Dusknoir, "Even here… you chased me even here! You're tenacious, all right! You cling to me beyond comparison!"

Dusknoir floated forward menacingly, "Grovyle! You're not getting away this time!"

Grovyle let out a sigh and shook his head, "Dusknoir… I'm surprised to see you in this world. But I'm ready!" He assumed his opening stance.

Dusknoir's eye narrowed, "So you'll fight. Then so be it." He adopted a different stance, spreading his arms, "But can you win? Against ME?"

The two of them struck at the same time, but something dropped out of Grovyle's hand and a bright light flared in the room. When the light faded, Grovyle was gone.

Dusknoir looked around furiously. "That blasted Grovyle! He never intended to fight me at all! There's no escaping ME!" he shouted before vanishing into shadows.

Martha had watched all of this occur with surprise before she too lost consciousness. Right before everything went black, she heard some familiar voices.

* * *

Martha awoke in her room, Nate sitting on the bed next to hers. Chimecho was hovering nearby, and she said, "Oh! You're awake!"

Still out of it, Martha asked, "Wh-where…?"

Nate answered, "We're back in the crew room. You took the longest to wake up, but then, you got the worst of the beating."

Martha hurriedly turned to Nate and asked frantically, "Are you all right, Ian?!"

Nate smiled and nodded, "Evidently, I'm made of more resilient stuff than I thought. Even though all of us got it bad, I was the first to wake up."

Letting out a sigh of relief, she said, "I'm glad to hear that. I remember passing out at Crystal Lake… It seems like I can speak again… Oh! What happened to Azelf?! Is he okay?!"

Chimecho nodded, "He's fine. Martha, compared to your team, his injuries weren't that severe. He regained consciousness earlier. He's in the guild now."

"I'm glad to hear that," Martha replied.

"I'm glad you're okay too, Martha and Ian!" Then Chimecho seemed to think of something. "I should let the guild know that you're awake." She rang out by swinging her body back and forth, and called, "Everybody! They're awake!"

Almost in an instant, there was a tremor as their room was suddenly filled to the brim with the other apprentices. All of them were relieved, and expressed how happy they were to hear that.

Martha smiled, "You guys are getting so emotional about this!" Then she remembered something else that happened in Crystal Cave. "Oh! That's right! There's something that I need to tell everyone."

"Hey, hey…?" Corphish said, puzzled.

Sunflora asked, "And what would that be?"

Martha took a look around and said, "It's a little cramped in here. Let's move to the briefing area. Besides, Wigglytuff and Chatot should also hear this…"

Once the meeting was moved, Martha related everything she had gathered from Dusknoir's exchange. Nate kept calm and reacted appropriately. Despite what Dusknoir revealed, there was no solid proof that "Ian" was Grovyle's partner.

After Martha was done, Chatot said, "You're saying that the great Dusknoir and Grovyle… They may have known each other from before all of this?! And not only that, but there's a _partner_ of Grovyle's that may be in hiding?!"

Martha nodded, "That's what it sounded like from what Dusknoir said."

After a brief silence, Dugtrio asked, "Well, then… What became of Dusknoir?"

"Well, Grovyle escaped…" Martha explained. "I think he went after the thief."

Soon after she said that, a siren blared through the guild. Loudred looked around, "What?! The EMERGENCY siren!"

Diglett burrowed underground and went to the sentry post. His father called, "Hey, Diglett! What's the matter?"

Diglett listened, and said, "It's an alert from Magnemite. I'm told it's an emergency call sent out by Officer Magnezone!" He turned back to the hole and shouted, "Deputy Magnemite! Please shout your message down to the sentry post! Please speak clearly!"

Magnemite's mechanical voice sounded through the lower floor of the guild. "Zzzt! Can you hear me? Zzzt! This is about an important announcement from Officer Magnezone! Zzzt! Everyone please gather at the main square in Treasure Town! Zzzt! He will have a major announcement to make to everyone! Zzzt! All Pokémon in the area have been called for this town meeting, not just those in the guild! Zzzt! That is all! We hope for your cooperation! Thank you. Zzzt!"

"I wonder what this is about," Martha said.

Sunflora was curious too, "An important announcement? What might it be?"

"Hey, hey!" Corphish called. "No point in wondering. Let's go get the answer! Hey, hey! Let's get a move on to Treasure Town's main square!"

* * *

When the guild arrived, there was already a large number of Pokémon gathered, including Uxie and Mesprit. At least that's what Martha and the others assumed, since they had never actually met Mesprit. She was similar to Uxie and Azelf as well, except she had four pink appendages coming from her head crest, looking like hair.

A group of the citizens made note about how serious the situation must be if Wigglytuff's Guild was involved.

Once Uxie noticed Azelf, he called out to him and the trio reunited.

"Are you all right?" Mesprit asked. "You're not hurt?"

Azelf nodded, "Yes, I'm fine."

"The Time Gear?" Uxie asked.

"It's in Crystal Lake," Azelf replied.

Mesprit asked, "It will be safe there without your protection? It can't be stolen?"

Again, Azelf nodded, "Yes, it will be safe for now. The Time Gear is protected by an encasing cover of crystals. Stealing it won't be easy."

Soon, Martha noticed that Dusknoir was at the front facing the crowd. She called out to him, "Dusknoir, sir!"

Dusknoir noticed them and said, "Ah, Martha and Ian! You are safe. I'm so relieved!"

He went up to talk to them and Nate decided to let Martha do the talking. She said, "Dusknoir, sir, I'm glad to see you're back too! Thank you for saving us! So… What happened to Grovyle?"

Dusknoir looked down, "I gave chase to Grovyle. But he slipped away from me."

"Oh, and… Dusknoir, sir? Back at Crystal Lake, when you were fighting Grovyle… Dusknoir, sir, you and Grovyle seemed to know each other. What was…"

Officer Magnezone floated forward as well, "ZZZT! If I may interrupt! ZZZT! The great Dusknoir plans to explain what he knows. ZZZT! And that topic will be included! ZZZT! Now everyone gather around, please! ZZZT!"

After everybody was gathered, and Magnezone called everyone's attention, and gave a review of what happened to the one's that didn't know, Dusknoir began telling his story. Nate didn't bother paying attention, he could figure what Dusknoir was going to say, because he knew what he wanted.

In short, it was that Grovyle and his partner were from the future, and came back in time to paralyze the planet by stealing Time Gears. He painted Grovyle and Nate (though he hadn't revealed his name at that point) in a bad light; even driving the point home by giving an in-depth description of the paralyzed planet. He also lied, claiming the cause to be the theft of the Time Gears. It fed their already rampant paranoia of not messing with the Time Gears, much to Nate's dismay.

There was a gap in his story when he said that the problems with time were caused by the theft of the Time Gears. Nate remembered Martha and Chatot discussing on the day of their first mission that time had been out of whack _before _they got news of the first Time Gear being stolen. Sadly, there was nothing he could do to dispute his story without being exposed and captured on the spot. It would be suspicious if he tried to argue against Dusknoir.

When he got to explaining about Nate himself, Dusknoir said, "And Grovyle's partner… I was hoping that the two of them would be together, but it seems that they separated. Ordinarily, he would be easy to track. See, Grovyle's partner is actually a human, named Nate." This sudden information caused the entire crowd to erupt into discussion among themselves.

Dusknior waited until they were done before he said, "However, I've heard no rumors about a human wandering the continent. And even if I were to get a lead on him, who's to say he wouldn't elude me again? You see, this human has an exceedingly rare ability to see either the past or the future by touching an object."

There were murmurs of confusion, since nobody had heard of such an ability before. Well, nobody except two Pokémon. Martha was looking at Nate, confused, and Nate was looking at himself, the picture of confusion, to keep up the act for the one Pokémon that was observing him instead of paying attention to Dusknoir.

When Corphish asked how Dusknoir knew about Grovyle and Nate being from the future, and the events that would take place, Dusknoir revealed that he was from the future as well. That he had been sent to apprehend the two criminals, so he studied all that he could about this time. He claimed that he didn't tell anybody about his mission because nobody would have taken him seriously, another reason (the true reason, in Nate's mind) being that he didn't want to alert Grovyle and Nate to his presence. It brought Nate a small amount of satisfaction that he helped foil that little part of the plan.

Although, it made Nate sick that everybody bought the story so easily, and that Dusknoir was revered as an even greater hero than before, after Dusknoir feigned regret for keeping it a secret.

Soon after, Azelf brought to Dusknoir's attention that to steal the Time Gear from Crystal Lake, Grovyle would have to go after its guardian. The three guardians came up with a plan to go to Crystal Lake, while spreading a rumor that they plan to seal the Time Gear forever. They planned to lure Grovyle into striking and set a trap. Dusknoir hesitantly agreed, after the guardians said they didn't mind being exposed to danger as bait for catching Grovyle.

Dusknoir explained the plan to the Pokémon gathered, and almost everyone offered to go with them to catch Grovyle, but Dusknoir said that he would prefer to go alone with the trio. He said that Grovyle would be extremely cautious after learning that Dusknoir was here in the past. Instead he instructed everyone to start spreading the rumor when they could and to keep an ear to the ground for Nate's whereabouts.

After Dusknoir instructed them and apologized for "selfishly" going by himself, Chatot addressed the apprentices of the guild.

"That's how it stands, guild members. Up to now… We were capturing Grovyle! Yoom… tah! At least, that was the plan. This time, stay out of it," he ordered. "We'll provide support only as needed!"

The apprentices didn't seem very happy about it, but they agreed that they would do what it took to catch Grovyle, even if it meant doing nothing.

Chatot turned to Wigglytuff, "Is that an acceptable plan? Guildmaster?"

"Yup, yup!" Wigglytuff replied while nodding.

Chatot smiled, "Thank you for confirming that." 'Whew! He stayed awake! Thank goodness!'

Dusknoir nodded, "Thank you for hearing me out, everyone. I realize I am asking a huge favor. But please do your part in our plan. And… Let's capture Grovyle using whatever means necessary!"

Everybody cheered, except Nate. Luckily, he was towards the back, and everybody's eyes were on Dusknoir.

* * *

**And that's all she wrote for now. Both figuratively and literally. The first because this chapter's done, the second has to do with that reason I mentioned up top. My grades are getting pretty bad, because I keep getting distracted. Not just by writing, but by reading fanfiction, manga, watching videos, etc. Since I've pinpointed the internet to be the biggest factor of my distraction, and I cannot work a schedule around it (readers of A New Life and Path of the Righteous should know my track record with self-imposed hiatuses), the only option is to get rid of it in order to focus on my studies.**

**Today will be the last time I update any of my stories until winter break. And I mean it this time, because I won't have any other option. There's computers here at school, so I can access the sites necessary to school, and I'll still have my laptop, so I can write essays, do programs (at least until I switch to another major), and do general school stuff. I am loath to do this, but this is my last resort and chance to get my grades up by removing distractions.**

**Sorry to all my readers. But still, I felt that I owed you one more chapter before saying, "I'll see you when I see you."**

**-AJ203**


	16. Pain of Separation

Chapter 16: Pain of Separation

"That's the current situation!" Chatot said, addressing the guild. "Until everything is resolved we ask that you go about your regular duties. Yes, we would like you to spread the rumor as much as possible… But not so much that it would make Grovyle suspicious. Try to be natural! Go about your jobs in the usual manner. And, when possible, spread the rumor. That is what would like you to do for at least the next few days. That is all! All right, everyone! Let's have another good day of work!"

"HOORAY!"

Everybody dispersed and Nate and Martha received the assignment of doing jobs on the boards today.

"After all of that stress chasing Grovyle, it'll be nice to do some regular missions, right, Ian?" Martha asked.

Nate nodded, "Yeah. If we're lucky, Dusknoir will catch Grovyle, and the human partner will be easier to stop."

As they moved up the ladder, Martha thought and said, "A human hasn't been seen for whole millennia. Are you sure it'll be that easy?"

"I wouldn't know," Nate said in reply. "But… what Dusknoir said…"

They reached the boards and Martha turned around, "Ian? What's wrong?"

"…Nothing. I'm fine," Nate said after a pause. He smiled, "Let's just focus on our work. We're almost at Gold Rank, and that'll be a huge honor."

Martha didn't look happy with that answer, but she turned away to look at the board. As she read over the outlaw missions, she thought, 'Ian seems depressed about something… It must've been what Dusknoir said. Grovyle's partner has the ability to see the future by touching objects. The Dimensional Scream… He must be worried because of his amnesia.'

Nate picked a Skarmory wanted poster and looked it over, "We can gather some missions to the Northern Desert and train in the meantime." He found another request without a poster, "Apparently, there's also a thief in Craggy Coast, so we should keep that place in mind too. While we gather up missions, let's go training. We were completely outclassed by Grovyle, and we need to train up the newer recruits anyway."

At length, Martha nodded, deciding to talk with "Ian" about it later tonight. They weren't able to find anymore missions to either of the two places, so they decided to take the recruits training in rotation while they waited for more.

* * *

"Like. I. Said. We already have a Dragon-type on this team," Tempest said as he leaned forward aggressively.

The male Dratini scoffed, "Really? I hope you're not referring to yourself, dirt-eater. You don't even know _one_ dragon move."

"Like Twister even counts as a move!" Tempest countered. "The instant Luminous Spring is working again I'll be _ten times_ the dragon you could _ever_ be!"

"You'll just be more of a bug than you already are," Dratini mocked.

Tempest shouted, "I'm not a bug, I'm a _GROUND-TYPE_!"

Martha watched as the two Pokémon argued back and forth, trying to find the proper time to interject. Nate had delegated the choice to her so he and Wattson could go looking for a thief on this floor, and Tempest was strongly against recruiting another Dragon-type. It didn't help things that the two were out to prove who the better dragon was.

Nate and Wattson came back with a TM, Nate saying, "We found the thief, a Lairon. He should've picked a better hideout than Craggy Coast. He was already exhausted from water attacks before we got to him, and… Martha, why are they still arguing?"

"It's a bit of a dilemma…" Martha said, the two arguing Pokémon not noticing. "On the one hand, some Dragon moves now would be good, and the Dratini line can learn a variety of moves by TM. On the other, I don't think Tempest will be too happy if I let this one on the team, and two Dragon-types might be a bit excessive."

"Martha," Nate said, "I know you usually go to me for advice, but bear in mind that you're a leader of this team too. Be assertive! This wouldn't be the first recruit you've rejected, should you choose to do so. And if Tempest has a problem with another Dragon-type, but they would be useful for the team, then you work it out; compromise. Either way, it's your call."

"Don't you mean 'our call'?" Martha asked.

Nate shook his head, "You've made decisions without my input before. The expedition, Manectric, as well as a few other potential recruits. Be a leader."

Martha thought it over, and the Dratini was ultimately rejected, but Tempest was also reprimanded for trying to drive away someone who was asking to join.

"It's not a race, Tempest," Martha pointed out. "If somebody wants to join, and they'd be helpful to the team, then we welcome them. We're all on the same side here, and that includes potential recruits."

Tempest sighed, "I know. I just didn't like how he was rubbing his type in my face. I'm ready to evolve; I can feel it. But Luminous Spring just _had_ to lose its light."

During training, Tempest had been pushing himself harder than everybody else, eager to get ready to evolve. When he revealed his intentions, Maribel had to break the news to him too. Still, he continued working as hard as he could, since he'd heard the same rumor "Ian" had and was determined to try forcing the evolution. His determination even gave Regina renewed vigor to train after she'd already given up on evolving until Luminous Spring came back.

"In any case," Nate gently reminded, "we still have two missions left, and time flies in mystery dungeons."

"Right," Martha nodded, "let's keep moving." She turned to Tempest, "And there's a Magmar outlaw with your name on her."

Sand seemed to swirl around Tempest as he said, "Awesome."

* * *

That night, after Nate and Martha picked up their rewards and had dinner, Martha let Nate know that she wanted to talk to him about something once they were in their room.

He knew exactly what she wanted to talk about; he had planned it. He didn't want to risk any chance of Martha figuring out the link between "Ian's" and his Dimensional Scream. But he pretended to be ignorant.

Smiling as if nothing was wrong, Nate asked, "Talk about what?"

"Ian," Martha started gently, "I know what you're worried about."

"Ian" tried to deflect it, jokingly saying, "I worry about a lot of things every day; you're going to have to be a little more specific."

Martha huffed, "Don't try to deny it. I can tell when something's wrong with you! You're worried that since you don't have your memories, and have the same ability, you might've been Grovyle's partner."

Nate cringed and then looked down, making a show of trying to keep his composure, "I… Martha, please, I'd prefer not to think about it too much. The thought that I'd ever-"

"Stop it!" Martha chastised. "First, Dusknoir distinctly said 'human' partner. You are clearly a Pikachu and not a human. Second, a bad guy wouldn't risk his life for Azurill, or me or our recruits. You are _not_ Nate."

Nate squashed down a chuckle at the irony of that statement, as well as the guilt of going to such great lengths to complete his mission. He looked back up and started nervously, "But my ability…"

"So what if you have the same ability?" Martha countered. "Dusknoir said that it was a rare ability, and the human's from the future. How a human got a Pokémon ability is beyond me, but there's nothing saying that two can't have the same ability if they're from so far apart in time."

Nate looked her in the eye for a bit and then crossed his arms as he pretended to think. At length he said, "…I guess you're right." Letting out a sigh of relief, he said, "Thanks, Martha. I was so worried about who I might've been." In the back of his mind, he thought, 'I am truly no better than Dusknoir.'

Martha nodded with a smile, "Any time, Ian."

* * *

Two more days passed since the plan to catch Grovyle was put in motion. With no word of success or failure, Chatot urged everyone to keep up their usual work, since they couldn't check with the risk of spoiling the trap. Team Rapid completed two more sets of missions to Mt. Bristle and the Northern Desert.

After the missions to the Northern Desert, Team Rapid was promoted to Gold Rank. Not only did this allow for a larger storage space, but Gold Rank exploration teams had a special function in their badge. By pressing the badge to a mystery dungeon they'd been to on the Wonder Map, the squad on call would be warped there instantly. Martha was excited about this because it would allow them to take missions to further away places. They celebrated at Spinda Café with the recruits and planned to take some missions to Foggy Forest the following morning.

During the briefing today, Chatot said in the morning address, "Ahem… About the attempt to capture Grovyle… We have yet to receive word that Grovyle has been captured. I understand that you are all itching for something to happen! But consider this a test of your patience! Because we ask you to carry on with your usual work!"

Suddenly, the siren rang again, much to Chatot's alarm. Diglett burrowed to his post and reported, "Deputy Magnemite is here!"

The officer's mechanical voice buzzed from the hole, "Zzzt! This is a message from Officer Magnezone. Zzzt! We are pleased to deliver this report! Zzzt! Grovyle has finally been captured by the great Dusknoir! Zzzt!"

The guild was stunned before they broke out in cheer. Nate played along as best as he could, feeling that he was doing a believable job. He knew Grovyle well enough that he wouldn't have risked it if he didn't know or at least believe that Nate was here to finish the mission.

"Zzzt! There's more! Zzzt! The great Dusknior has informed us that he will return to the future with Grovyle! Zzzt!"

The guild apprentices seemed dismayed at that part, and Nate was able to act along rather well, since he was actually worried for Grovyle's well being.

When Loudred asked how that was going to work, Magnemite replied, "Zzzt! I do not claim to understand the process. Zzzt! But I have hear they will be going through a tunnel. Zzzt! He called it a dimensional hole. Zzzt! He opened a dimensional hole in the town's main square, I am told. Zzzt! Dusknoir told us that he wishes to say good-bye before he leaves. Zzzt! Therefore, he hopes that you will come see him for the last time at Treasure Town's square. Zzzt!"

"Hey, hey! Well, what are we doing _here_?!" Corphish shouted.

Martha nodded, "Let's hurry! We have to go to Treasure Town!"

* * *

Nate trailed behind Martha, the two of them in the center of the guild assembly as they moved towards the plaza. He happened to get a glance at the dimensional hole that had formed. It looked much darker and more sinister than the Passage of Time. Then again, what could he expect from an agent of Primal Dialga?

As the guild joined the assembly, which consisted of the residents of Treasure Town and Team Rapid's recruits, among other Pokémon, Magnezone explained about the dimensional hole. Bidoof moved forward for a closer look, but Magnezone intercepted him, warning him to stay back. Nate almost wished Bidoof had touched it, so _somebody_ could see the truth.

Martha spotted Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf and called out to them. Uxie recognized her, and Martha was relieved that they were safe. Mesprit introduced herself, since she had never met Team Rapid.

"So did the plan succeed?" Nate asked, in an effort to seem as part of the conversation.

Azelf nodded, "Yes. I have to hand it to the great Dusknoir. It was flawless."

Nate had to exercise all of his control to not grit his teeth as Azelf continued, "Grovyle's been captured. And we regained all of the Time Gears he'd stolen." Even more when Martha cheered, "Yes! I'm so glad!"

Uxie nodded, "Dusknoir should be along shortly."

Ursaring and Teddiursa pointed out that Dusknoir was coming, so Loudred called out, "Everyone! MAKE WAY!"

The Pokémon of Treasure Town cleared a path, and soon, Dusknoir came into view, Grovyle was in front of him, arms bound to his sides and rope over his snout. In addition, he was flanked by two Sableye.

Nate felt his ire rise at the horrible manner that Grovyle was treated, and he felt it rise exponentially every time somebody made a comment of what a villain Grovyle was. Why was he fighting for these people again?

He let a sigh through his nose which could've been interpreted into anything, given the situation. Nate was fighting because it was the right thing to do. He had to put his personal feelings aside.

Once they were in front of the portal, Dusknoir addressed the crowd of Pokémon, "Everyone! Today, I would like to share excellent news with you." He gestured to Grovyle, "Finally… Grovyle has been captured!"

Everybody cheered, and Nate forced himself to clap along, hoping for his usual reticent nature to cover the rest. Because if he actually said anything, he couldn't trust himself to control precisely _what_ he said at this point.

"This was all made possible by your selfless support and cooperation!" Dusknoir added. "I can't thank you enough!"

Everybody cheered again, and Dusknoir announced, "As you can see, Grovyle is a vicious and wicked Pokémon. His capture should result in lasting peace for your world."

Grovyle struggled against his binds and muzzle, giving muffled protests. Nate thought it was mostly for show at this point. Even if he was unmuzzled, it would be written off as spiteful lies.

Dusknoir seemed to partially deflate, "But… I must also deliver a sad piece of news. It is time for me to return to the future. Everyone! I must now bid you farewell."

A few apprentices from the guild voiced their regrets before Dusknoir turned to the Lake Trio, "Uxie… Mesprit… Azelf… I entrust you with the rest."

After a brief acknowledgment from Mesprit and Azelf, Uxie nodded, "We got the Time Gears back. And we will make sure they're returned to their rightful places."

Dusknoir nodded, "The task is yours."

Magnezone thanked Dusknoir for helping them, to which the Ghost Pokémon responded, "Oh, no, no… You have been most kind and helpful. I hope you will continue to work to preserve the peace."

"ZZZT! Yes! You can depend on that! ZZZT!" Magnezone responded.

"Now…" Dusknoir said at length, "I'm afraid the time has come."

'Quit the theatrics and shoo already!' Nate thought, frustrated at having to maintain his character for so long.

Dusknoir signaled the Sableye and they shoved Grovyle into the dimensional hole before leaving themselves. Dusknoir addressed the crowd one last time, "Everyone! Though it pains me…"

The other members of the guild, including Martha, started crying about Dusknoir's departure.

Dusknoir gave a sigh, "This is goodbye…"

He turned and went towards the dimensional hole himself. As if considering something, Dusknoir paused and glanced over his shoulder one more time, giving a last fleeting glance to the Pokémon of Treasure Town. Nate had plenty of things to be sad about with this situation, so he was sure his face was composed correctly. But he could've sworn that Dusknoir was looking at _him_ in particular.

However, as briefly as he had glanced, Dusknoir turned back around and disappeared into the portal. Once he was inside, it shrunk and vanished with a small flash of light.

While the mood in the plaza was somber, Nate's mood was bittersweet. Dusknoir was gone, but so was Grovyle. He was well and truly all alone now, and his partner was counting on him to finish this mission.

Martha noticed Nate's sad expression, and asked, "Nate? Are you okay?"

Nate gave a genuine smile, even as his shoulders shook, and said, "I'm sad that he's gone, but I feel like I can rest easier with that criminal out of our sight."

He went ahead and left it up to Martha's interpretation to fill in the blanks.

* * *

Dusknoir navigated the dark corridors of the stockade. Grovyle was already bound to the pillar to be executed, as per Dusknoir's orders. Though, even if he had confirmed his capture to his master, Primal Dialga, he was still required to report to one more superior. Still in darkness, he found the chamber of Primal Dialga's right-hand Pokémon.

The instant he was inside, a cold voice curtly ordered, "Report."

"Grovyle was captured," Dusknoir informed his superior. "He was bound while unconscious and is ready for execution."

"And the partner?"

Dusknoir's eye narrowed, "Left behind. He never suspected my knowledge of him. If I may be so bold, why-y-y…!"

A bright red glow came from a pair of eyes in the darkness, freezing Dusknoir, even his speech, where he stood. The voice took on a dangerous edge as the eyes narrowed.

"You are not assigned to ask questions. Your duty is to follow our master's orders and my own. Now. Did. You. Leave. Him?"

The glow became more muted and Dusknoir held a hand to his chest as he panted, "Yes… I spotted him undercover in Wigglytuff's Guild under an alias, Ian."

The eyes narrowed further and the glow brightened for a moment before the eyes closed, veiling the room in darkness again. The sound of a deep breath was heard.

"Good. Now, we move onto the second phase of our plan."

* * *

Grovyle woke up, feeling his arms and legs bound. Right… He had been caught by Dusknoir, and now he was at the execution chamber. Grovyle took a deep breath, already plotting his escape. His arms were pinned behind his back, so he couldn't use Leaf Blade without stabbing himself, but that didn't exhaust all of his options. Nate may have been left as a final hope for the future, but that didn't mean the plan couldn't change. Grovyle would escape and go back to the past to help his partner.

He was cut off from his thoughts when a bright light shone down on him. Grovyle intentionally kept his eyes open, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of him showing his discomfort.

The door opened, and Dusknoir came in, followed by four Sableye. After they were in the room, Dusknoir ordered, "Don't let up, and keep your eyes on that Grovyle."

The Sableye laughed cheerily before slashing the air in excitement. Dusknoir turned to Grovyle, keeping watch as he said, "You may begin."

Grovyle closed his eyes in feigned resignation, waiting for his moment. He was unable to keep down a grimace of pain, which just made the Sableye laugh and redouble their efforts.

Enduring the pain as stoically as he could, Grovyle held out hope for one of the shots to stray and hit the ropes binding him.

His opportunity came but a few moments later, and he broke out of the ropes, sweeping his arms out to bat away the Sableye before throwing down a Luminous Orb. Grovyle then burrowed underground and waited.

Angry shouting. High-pitched laughing. Silence… One… Two… Three…

Grovyle surfaced back into the room and immediately took off to escape at full speed. Darting through the corridors, he quickly found the exit and barged through. Once he was outside, he gave his surroundings a cursory glance before setting out to travel the quickest route he knew to Dusk Forest.

* * *

Martha was getting worried about "Ian." Ever since Dusknoir had gone back to the future, he'd been acting kind of distant. As if his mind was always somewhere else. After they had taken some missions to Foggy Forest that day, she'd confronted him about what was on his mind.

Nate replied that he had started thinking about Martha's Relic Fragment. The pattern was something unlike anything seen ever before, so perhaps they should take it to be investigated. Martha was hesitant at first, since she wanted to be the one to solve the mystery, but Nate reminded her that there was no shame in getting a little help or knowledge from an outside source.

The two of them asked Chatot, who conferred with Wigglytuff after borrowing the fragment, but he returned it saying that neither of them had seen anything like it. However, he recommended they go see Torkoal the town elder, if they wanted a second opinion on the matter. Chatot admitted that he didn't know everything, but if it was ancient lore, Torkoal was likely to have something for them.

* * *

A presence looked down on Grovyle as he was unconscious on the ground. He had angered a Spiritomb and they had taken control of his body. That wouldn't do at all.

Once it was clear that Grovyle wasn't waking up. Another figure descended into the Sealed Pit. Spiritomb was indignant and ready to attack for all of five seconds before he was met with a devastating Dark Pulse attack.

They tried to possess the new intruder as well, but their essence only gripped a Substitute. Spiritomb's keystone was suddenly under attack, and they decided that it was better to flee. Luckily the intruder decided that the chase wasn't worth their time.

Instead, they went back to monitoring Grovyle as he woke up. The Grass Pokémon forced himself to rise and left the area to find a shelter to rest at for a short time.

* * *

Nate and Martha arrived at the hot spring that Torkoal frequented asking about the Relic Fragment. He seemed surprised at the pattern on the stone, and Martha was hopeful that that meant he knew something about it.

Torkoal spent the next few minutes explaining that the symbol marks the "Relic Fragment" as proof of someone bearing the qualifications to enter the Hidden Land. Martha and Nate were astounded, Martha in awe that her Relic Fragment wound up being from… She had no idea of a place known as the Hidden Land.

The town elder went on, saying that the Hidden Land was ancient lore, passed down by oral tradition. Very little was known about it, aside from the pattern somehow being a key. But he didn't know whether it was a literal key or if the pattern was simply a token to prove one had the right to venture to the place of legend.

Nate carefully catalogued this information, wondering if there was a way to convince Martha to investigate the Hidden Land while he collected the Time Gears, all without blowing his cover.

There wasn't.

* * *

Grovyle arrived at the heart of Dusk Forest, calling out for Celebi. For a while there was silence. Just as he feared the worst, a tittering laugh indicated her presence.

The pink Time Travel Pokémon appeared in a small flash of light, greeting Grovyle. Before Grovyle could explain why he was here, she said that she already knew. His being back here was enough information to figure out that Grovyle had failed. Though he was ashamed, Grovyle did mention that there was still hope.

Celebi nodded and agreed to let him use the Passage of Time again. Grovyle stocked up at the Kangaskhan Rock that was at the entrance of Deep Dusk Forest. All the while, Celebi looked at Grovyle longingly before sighing. She would never be able to tell Grovyle how she felt. It would only be a distraction at a crucial point.

She would come to regret that decision.

* * *

After deciding to put aside the investigation of the Relic Fragment for the rest of the day in order to do some guild work, Team Rapid took on a batch of missions to Mt. Horn. Maribel had been tagging along with them, in addition to a Surskit, their escort client.

While Martha had been regaling the Starly with tales of the expedition, Nate discreetly took out some good-sized bags of money from the Poké Pocket and emptied the money back inside before putting the empty bags in the Kangaskhan Rock for storage. He knew about these from the future. They open not only for exploration teams, but identify each Pokémon that uses them. He had forgone using his badge and secretly started his own storage where he kept four empty bags.

After writing in the adventure log, he let the others know that their supplies were reorganized. They entered the dungeon and closed ranks around Surskit.

Team Rapid encountered their first outlaw on the seventh floor, a Corsola. Surprisingly, Surskit actually managed to help against him, distracting the crook at a critical time with a Bubble attack. One more Thunderbolt from Nate took care of the Corsola in short order.

The next outlaw, a Hoothoot, fled towards the stairs in the room at first sight, but a quick Discharge from Nate paralyzed her and she surrendered once she was surrounded by the three members of Team Rapid.

Shortly after they rescued another client, an Ariados, they got a request from a Pokémon to join their team. A massive Pokémon.

The Aerodactyl that Nate defeated was impressed by the power that Team Rapid demonstrated, despite their small size. He offered to lend his bulk to their cause. Martha was unsure, but Maribel convinced her, saying that he could be good for dealing with other evolved Pokémon that the rest of the team might fall short on. Aerodactyl were no pushovers, after all. It's just that Nate happened to be much more powerful than the Pokémon in this dungeon.

Once he was accepted, the Aerodactyl introduced himself as Terrence and accompanied them for the rest of their missions. Maribel asked what moves he had, and Terrence was more than happy to brag about his diverse moveset, despite his (relatively) lower strength to the current Team Rapid. The three elemental fang attacks, Wing Attack, Bite, along with Roar and Scary Face for crowd control. Even though he was large, he was a big softy.

When Maribel pointed that out, he chuckled and teasingly told her to stop for the sake of his reputation. Nate pretended he couldn't see Martha staring at him from Maribel's interactions with the new recruit.

* * *

It was a trap. Of course it was a trap. Why _wouldn't_ it be a trap? Dusknoir had let him move freely, knowing full well that he'd lead them to Celebi. Regardless, he was ready to push through to get to the Passage of Time, Celebi reassuring Grovyle that she couldn't be caught.

But then Dusknoir crushed the last bit of hope that Grovyle had of escaping.

A sweeping wave of darkness heralded the arrival of a great power. An ominous red glow appeared above and the darkness lifted to reveal Primal Dialga in all his terrifying strength.

Grovyle stood rooted in his spot, unable to believe that he well and truly was staring Death in the face. His proud posture faltered and he whispered to Celebi to begin a telepathic link.

He warned her to flee; to take the Passage of Time and find Nate. He gave a brief description of what Nate looked like and where to find him.

Celebi adamantly refused to leave him behind, but Grovyle wouldn't bend. He knew that this was it for him. He told her to use her powers to transport herself to the Passage of Time. Grovyle was going to stall Dialga from exposing her path.

She begged him not to, but Grovyle responded that he wanted her to see the sunrise. More than her safety, she deserved that much for all that she'd done for him and his partner.

The Time Travel Pokémon wanted to argue further, but the Sableye and Dusknoir were closing in. And Grovyle would never forgive her if she traded his safety for her own. With a heavy heart, she activated her ability and started traveling to the dormant passage.

While the Ghost Pokémon were stunned by the brief flash of light, Grovyle hurriedly pushed past Dusknoir and jumped into the cliff, burrowing into the stone with practiced ease. Rushing through, he emerged under Primal Dialga, bashing into the Temporal Pokémon as he was trying to locate Celebi.

Down below, Dusknoir and the Sableye were stunned by Grovyle's sheer audacity while Dialga roared with rage, turning to face Grovyle. Rocks from the cliff uprooted and converged on Grovyle. He cut through the ones in his way with two Leaf Blades and assaulted Primal Dialga, even as the remaining stones slammed into his back. Dialga slashed into Grovyle's chest and abdomen with a Dragon Claw, but Grovyle heard the sound that made him stop his attack.

At the base of the cliff with a warbling sound, the Passage of Time collapsed in on itself, becoming closed once more after Celebi had gone through.

Primal Dialga took notice and growled at Grovyle, but the Wood Gecko Pokémon stood tall in one last act of defiance. Even with his chest bleeding profusely, legs shaking from fatigue, and back bruised. He refused to die in any way but standing.

As Primal Dialga's followers watched, one more Pokémon joined in. They were especially happy to see Grovyle executed after all this time.

Primal Dialga roared, gathering all of his energy for his ultimate attack. Grovyle glared at Primal Dialga all throughout the process and had one last fleeting thought.

It was all up to Nate now.

The Roar of Time hit Grovyle and he stood up to it for about half a second before he felt himself start to be pulled apart. At some point he blacked out, and there was nothing left of him by the time the attack was finished.

The follower that had just arrived smiled at the sight of Grovyle's demise, even as Dusknoir at least gave a moment of silence for a worthy opponent.

* * *

As Nate slept, he was shocked awake by something he had feared. A telepathic link. He tried to guard his mind, but the other presence quickly made herself known.

'It's me.'

Nate wasn't so sure that it _was_ her from how dismal her tone sounded. And even if it was, what was she doing in this time? She had always said that she was going to wait in case they needed a second chance…

Nate figured it out.

Celebi's somber attitude.

Her presence here.

'Celebi,' Nate communicated, fearing the answer to the question he had. 'What happened?'

And the answer was two words Nate feared hearing ever since Dusknoir left.

'Grovyle's gone.'

* * *

**… ****I have no words. Except that all of my other stories are on hold until I finish this story, so that I may dedicate time I have in between studying to this one. Anything less would be cruel.**

**See you when I see you.**

**-AJ203**


	17. Walking With the Weight of the World

Chapter 17: Walking With the Weight of the World

The news hit Nate harder than any attack he'd been forced to take. Tears trailed down his face without a sound as the human-turned-Pokémon mourned for his best friend and partner.

But he only allowed himself a moment to cry before his expression hardened. Nate stood up. He made his way over to the Treasure Bag and pulled out a sizable bag of money before quietly emptying it back into the pocket. Pulling out a smaller bag, he tore it with his teeth, making it into a strap to tie the bag over his shoulder.

'Meet me at the crossroads between the guild and Treasure Town,' he communicated to Celebi.

Nate received the mental equivalent of a nod before he felt the psychic presence recede.

Once Nate had the bag secured, he gave one last glance to Martha. He closed his eyes, resigned to what he had to do, before forming a Substitute. The two Pikachu opened their eyes and looked at each other.

The clone knew what to do, from what Nate had implanted in him, and held out his hand.

With only the slightest hesitation, Nate took off his gemstone necklace that had his Explorer Badge and gave it to the clone to wear tomorrow.

Remembering the vision he got from the Relic Fragment, Nate was worried that somehow Martha would still wind up with him when his time came. With what Torkoal said, it seemed to be her destiny to go to the Hidden Land. Then he shook his head.

'I possess the Dimensional Scream. I came back in time with my best friend Grovyle to change history. Destiny _cannot_ tell me what to do!'

Nate dug into the ground of the room, and plugged up the hole behind him as he dug into the wall and started going up towards the top of the cliff. As of right now, he was no longer an apprentice of Wigglytuff's Guild. That clone existed as the last vestige of Ian.

* * *

Martha woke up when Ian roused her. He already had the Treasure Bag over his shoulder and he said, "Come on, Martha. We need to get to the morning address."

Once they were there, Chatot was about to dismiss everyone to their posts, when Ian spoke up.

"Actually, Chatot, I have something to tell the guild. I managed to find a lead on Grovyle's partner."

Everybody turned to him, including Martha. She raised an eyebrow, "Ian? How did you find a lead on the human? We've been together all the time these past few days."

Ian smiled ruefully, "Because I'm Grovyle's partner."

The room was silent for a moment before Chatot laughed, "Oh, that was a good one! You can't be the partner the great Dusknoir warned us about. You're clearly not a human, and you've never shown to have the ability that lets you see the future."

"It's no joke," Ian said, his expression turning serious. "I'll admit I'm still in the dark on _how_ I was transformed into a Pokémon, but I am still every bit the human partner to Grovyle on the inside. As for the ability…" He glanced to his side, "Ask Martha. She knows."

The apprentices turned to Martha, but she was so stunned by what just happened that she couldn't offer any explanation.

"I'll let her explain that later. The point is that I deceived you all," Ian stated with no sign of humor or lying. "Honestly, this is a town of _fools_ that trust far too easily. Drowzee, Team Skull, Pokémon like me… No wonder I never heard of Wigglytuff's Guild in anything but books. None of you would last an hour in the future of darkness."

This caused the guild to be stunned, except for Wigglytuff, who looked confused.

Regardless, Loudred stepped forward aggressively, "Well, you must be pretty STUPID to have told us this. You're cornered in the lowest portion of the guild!"

Ian shook his head with a chuckle, "You really think he'd tell you all that I did in person? I'm just a Substitute clone; a messenger. When I last saw the original Nate, he was on his way to Treeshroud Forest. Better hurry if you want to stop him."

Finally, Martha spoke up, "Ian! Why are you doing this? Where is this coming from?"

The substitute looked at Martha with pity, "Nate sends his apologies, Martha. But your partnership was never going to last forever. If you want his personal opinion, it would be best if you moved on and drew on the support of your friends and teammates. Farewell."

With that said, the substitute disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the Treasure Bag and gemstone necklace to fall to the ground.

* * *

Hundreds of miles away, Nate received the memories of his substitute, Martha's shocked face being the last thing he saw.

'That's going to haunt me for the rest of my existence,' he thought with a sigh. Then a wry smile formed on his face, "Lucky it won't be much longer."

* * *

Martha trudged her way to Spinda Café, having received her assignment for the day. It was perfectly logical to assign the task to her. With Nate at the other end of the continent, who else but a Gold Rank exploration team would be able to catch up after who knows how long a head start?

Once she arrived and went down the stairs, she looked to her team engaged in everyday conversation. Were it not for the news she had to deliver, she probably would've laughed at the size disparity between Terrence and all the other team members at the table.

When they saw Martha, and her expression along with the absence of their other leader, everybody at the table went quiet.

"Martha?" Maribel asked. "What happened? Why do you look so…?"

"Our mission…" Martha said at length, "is to apprehend Ian."

The team blinked before Regina said, "Sorry, we must have misheard. You cannot have meant-"

"Why would we have to do that?" Terrence interrupted, baffled. He wasn't going to deny what Martha told them, but he wanted to know why.

"He was lying to everyone…" Martha relayed disappointedly. "Ian was the partner that Dusknoir warned us about. The human was transformed into a Pokémon somehow, and he played me for a fool, faking amnesia all this time. He's heading to Treeshroud Forest to start stealing Time Gears again."

The rest of the team looked distressed, aside from Augustus and Terrence (the latter because he didn't know "Ian" that well.). It made no sense to them! Ian was one of the most righteous Pokémon they had ever known. He hated those that would harm the innocent! Why would he put the world in jeopardy?!

"If we have to catch our leader," Ferra spoke up unexpectedly, "then that's a problem." Everybody turned to her and she continued, "He knows the ins, outs, strategies and weaknesses of this entire team, because he helped train all of us. Except Terrence, who's really not at his level."

Psymon added, "Not to mention that only a few of us resist electricity."

"But we _do _have Pokémon that resist electricity!" Tempest said. "If he was trying to blend in, it'll be his big mistake recruiting so many of us!"

Wattson was quiet because he could rapidly tell that the one thing ensuring his stay on Team Rapid had just vanished. He was confused too, but he wisely decided to keep his mouth shut so he didn't say something that got him put in prison.

He glanced at Augustus, the Paras unexpectedly silent during the whole exchange. Wattson tentatively asked, "Why haven't you said anything? I figured you'd be satisfied, saying stuff like 'I told you so' and 'I knew all along'."

Augustus just glanced at the Electric Pokémon and let out a huff before turning to continue listening to the conversation.

Tisha shook her head, "If he's betrayed us, then it don't matter why. I'm the best bet for huntin' him down, since I can absorb his electricity."

Wattson started sweating. There was no right answer for him. If he volunteers, it would look like he was backstabbing the one who stood up for him, which didn't sit well with him anyway. But if he refuses, then it would look like he was siding with a criminal. He'd accept if ordered, but-

"Wattson," Martha said, "you're coming too."

Speak of Giratina…

Wattson nodded, "Yes ma'am." He got the feeling that Martha wanted to keep an eye on him more than anything else.

* * *

Near the entrance of Foggy Forest, where Wigglytuff's Guild had set up camp for the expedition, four gold circles of light appeared. They rose up as beams and Team Rapid appeared within the clearing. Led by Martha, Tisha, Augustus and Wattson were in the squad to capture Nate as well. Tisha had the Wonder Map with her badge pressed to their current location.

The group was wearing exclusive items, gotten from trading items at Croagunk's shop. Augustus had a Firm Hat which absorbed flames to heal him, Tisha wore a Cubone Scarf which gave her Bonemerang farther range and accuracy, and Martha wore a Virid Collar, which had a function similar to Augustus' ability Effect Spore. Wattson, while the others didn't expect him to have an item, had a Current Ring that was fixed to his unbranded arm.

The four of them shook their heads clear, Martha commenting, "Still not used to the teleportation…"

After re-orienting themselves, Team Rapid made their way out of the clearing and headed north towards Treeshroud Forest.

After an hour's hike, they arrived and were momentarily stunned by the mystical wood. True to its name, shadows enshrouded the way ahead, only trace amounts of light breaking through the foliage.

Martha shook her head clear. Now was _not_ the time for sightseeing. All she needed to do was reach for Nate's character; convince him that stealing the Time Gears was wrong. They obviously beat him here, since the forest wasn't frozen yet.

After venturing through the entrance, Team Rapid was in shadows almost all the time, so they were hard-pressed to see where the enemy Pokémon were coming from. Only Martha had experience detecting enemies by sound, so she had to direct the others' attacks. After a while, though, Wattson helped out by running a constant current of electricity through his fur, lighting up the area enough for the Pokémon to see the walls of whatever room they were in. The Electric Pokémon's Current Ring ensured that he used exactly as much as needed, allowing him to conserve the rest for future use. **(1)**

When asked where he got it, Wattson simply answered that it was a gift from "Ian" after taking down his first outlaw at Craggy Coast, the Lairon.

The Pokémon were mostly Psychic-types, which Augustus took down quite easily, along with the Cherrim that occasionally cast Sunny Day. Houndoom and Ninetales also patrolled the dungeon, but fell easily to Tisha's Bonemerang. Wattson handled the Vespiquen with his Thunder Punch.

At one point, a horde of Pokémon ambushed them in a monster house. They began to move back-to-back, but to everyone's surprise, Wattson shouted, "Hit the deck!"

They did so, and Wattson span his arms in circles, generating a large amount of electricity and blasting it in all directions. The Discharge attack struck down a large amount of the Pokémon in the room, and the rest of Team Rapid picked off the remaining opponents.

After the enemies were cleared out, Martha turned to Wattson, "When… did you learn that?"

Wattson scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Well… I _might_ have spent a few days off-mission getting some extra training at Marowak Dojo… Hehe… A few days translates to a lot of time at the place, you know?"

Tisha held her club in front of him, "You better not be plottin' on us."

With an irritated look, Wattson pushed her club aside and said, "I'm just trying to help the team."

While Martha urged the team to put it behind them for now and focus, Augustus thought about what just happened. With learning Discharge, Wattson can do anything "Ian" could, and more.

The Bug/Grass-type still remembered his conversation with the Pikachu after Wattson had been recruited.

* * *

**_"_****_You're acting like he's your replacement."_**

**_After staring at Augustus for a brief moment, Nate closed his eyes with a resigned smile. Turning to watch the waves, he commented, "Augustus. From the moment we met, I could tell right away that you didn't trust me."_**

**_"_****_What're you on abou-"_**

**_"_****_That's a good thing," Nate interrupted. "Only a fool trusts everybody right away. You've been burned before. You're jaded. It means you won't be so easily tricked. You and Wattson were two recruits that I was happy Martha would have."_**

**_Augustus stepped forward, "Quit beating around the bush and get to the point!"_**

**_"_****_Augustus. I'm leaving."_**

**_The Mushroom Pokémon was stunned by the statement, so Nate continued, "Sometime soon, I won't be able to stay with Martha, or Team Rapid." He let out a slight chuckle, "I bet you'll be happy to have me out of your mushrooms."_**

**_"_****_Now, wait a second here!" Augustus said, hooking one claw around Nate's side and forcing him to turn around. "Whaddya mean 'you're leaving'?! What kinda half-baked excuse is that? Can'tcha see Martha needs you?"_**

**_Nate's expression turned regretful, "All too clearly. But I have no choice now."_**

**_He smiled the first genuine smile Augustus had seen him make, "I'm counting on you to look after the team for me once that happens, you hear? I'm telling Wattson later. I've even managed to get him an item in secret that'll boost his prowess in battle."_**

**_Augustus was struck speechless at what Nate had just told him to do. He was expecting him and Wattson to fill his position when he was gone. It made sense on paper. Wattson would fill in the type coverage and Augustus would fill in the cautious side of Nate._**

**_"_****_But…" Augustus shook his head, "why?!"_**

**_Nate started heading back to the crossroads, urging Augustus to follow him, "All will be clear soon enough, so long as you keep an open mind and listen."_**

* * *

Augustus still hadn't been able to make sense of that conversation, but he'd swear on all his spores that Ian's sudden betrayal had something to do with it. That's why he insisted he come along instead of Tempest. Wattson already seemed to be working to protect the team, having trained extra hard to learn Discharge. And him having the Current Ring proved that Nate had given him the item to help him do his job. His attitude had changed as well, from fear of rejection to stubborn desire to protect, whether they like it or not.

As Team Rapid moved further into the mystery dungeon, the scenery seemed to change, the shadows growing darker. When they arrived at a clearing within the deepest part of the forest, the group gasped at the sight.

The glade was a light gray in color, even with the sun shining directly upon it. Team Rapid looked around. There was no wind, dewdrops hung in midair and the leaves were completely still.

"It's… just like Chatot described," Martha said worriedly. "Were we too late?! Is Ian already gone?!"

"It's 'Nate'."

They turned and saw Nate himself come out of the bushes near the side. He brushed his hand against a few of the leaves, "You know, this place is still in better condition than-"

Tisha immediately threw her club with Bonemerang and hit Nate solidly in the forehead. He hit the ground and was unconscious.

Martha balked, "Tisha?! We were supposed to talk to him first!"

The Ground-type caught her club as it returned and said, "Look around you! It's clear to me that he's past talkin' to. Now we can put the Time Gear back and-"

"How rude," the same voice intoned. Team Rapid turned around and saw Nate with his arms crossed in one of the branches of a tree. "Attacking me while I'm talking, don't you trust me? Good. Only a fool would've tried reasoning with me at this point."

When Tisha glanced back at the Pikachu she'd just hit, it glowed white and vanished with a poof of smoke. Substitute.

"Anyway, I reiterate the question I asked the guild this morning. Do you really think I'd be so stupid as to talk to you in person? These are Substitutes with instructions on precisely what to say and when," the clone said as he hopped down from the branch. Looking up, it continued, "Now, if you're done, perhaps you'd care to let me explain."

Martha paused, "Explain what…?"

The clone looked at Martha and shook its head, "The original was actually hoping that one of the other guild members would come, but of course they send you. Regardless, if you'll follow me to the Time Gear sanctuary."

"You're just trying to stall us, aren't you?" Wattson asked.

Nate's substitute chuckled, "He had a feeling you would be brought along too, to test where your loyalties lie. Don't worry; it won't be much of a dilemma for you after this, Wattson."

Augustus stepped forward and held a claw to the clone's stomach, "Quit talking and explain, before I pop you like a balloon!"

The clone looked down its nose at Augustus, "You're wasting your time with threats. I don't fear death. I was never alive. He doesn't either, for he is already dead." The clone turned away and started walking deeper into the glade, "But I can admire wanting to get straight to the point; this way."

Augustus faltered, but followed, the other three members seeing little option but to do likewise. This could be the only way to get a lead on where Nate is headed next to get another Time Gear. When they arrived at the sanctuary, they passed by several more Nate clones. Evidently he had been here a while to rest up enough to make more than three. The copies didn't say anything, and all they did was follow along as the one that had spoken led Team Rapid to the innermost part of Treeshroud Forest.

When they got there, the speaker turned to them and gestured with an open hand to something that made the exploration team gasp in disbelief.

The Time Gear was there. Set right where it belonged, glowing pattern behind it and all.

"Now do you see?" he said. "Returning the Time Gears didn't make the least bit of difference. What you see here is mirrored in the other four sanctuaries."

Martha shook her head, "No… No, that…!"

"Are you ready to listen to us _now_?" the clone asked in a sardonic tone. "I'm past reasoning with, but it's _you_ that needs to get your facts straight."

Martha didn't look happy about it, but could tell that Nate clearly knew more than he had let on. Taking her silence as approval, the Nate clones rotated speaking.

"Now, when I said that I was Grovyle's partner, that was true."

"But what isn't true is what Dusknoir told you. That the planet's paralysis is because of the theft of Time Gears."

"The paralysis is caused by the collapse of Temporal Tower, which takes place in your time."

Wattson repeated, "Temporal Tower?"

One of the clones replied, "The structure that regulates time. As it grew into further disrepair, Dialga, the being that governs time, lost more of his reason."

"Once Temporal Tower and time itself were destroyed, Dialga completely lost his sanity and became an entirely different entity."

"Primal Dialga; a primordial deity that's only concerned with self-preservation. So he prevents history from changing. That's why he wants to eliminate me and Grovyle."

"Because we tried to change history and stop the planet's paralysis from ever happening."

"What?!" Martha said, unable to contain herself. "But-"

"I. Don't. Want. To hear. 'But Dusknoir said,' Martha," one of the clones seethed as all of their eyes narrowed. "The original was there. Everything Dusknoir said was all lies, except that he, Grovyle and I were from the future, and he was sent to apprehend us. He's Primal Dialga's lead agent."

Once the clones calmed down, they picked up where they left off, "To fix Temporal Tower, the Time Gears must be taken and placed there. While it's true that time stops when a region loses its Time Gear, that's only temporary. Once they're placed in the tower, time is restored everywhere."

Martha looked to the ground, and then the Time Gear, unable to believe what she was hearing, "No… No! It can't be-"

"Look around you, Martha," the clones said in unison. "Does this look like a lie?"

Team Rapid was silent, as they couldn't deny what was right in front of them.

"Anyway, if you put your personal feelings aside and recalled my exact words, you would've figured this out by now," the clone said. "'None of you would last an hour in the future of darkness.' If Grovyle and I were trying to _cause_ the planet's paralysis, then how would I already know what it's like?" Martha shook her head, refusing to listen.

"If that was the truth, why didn't you tell us?!" Martha yelled.

The lead clone snorted, barking a short derisive laugh while shaking his head, "The guild wouldn't have believed him. The _recruits_ wouldn't have believed him. _Nobody_ would. Not even _you_, Martha. After all, what is my word against the_ great_ _Dusknoir's_?" He spat out the title with such contempt, that it seemed more like an insult than anything else.

"No, it was much easier to pretend to be the villain Dusknoir claimed I was," the substitute continued. "After all, it got the guild to act and send someone after me, so they could see this. Have them check the sanctuaries instead of putting all their trust into a Pokémon that 'became famous overnight.' Seriously, nobody found that a _bit_ suspicious?"

When nobody answered, he shook his head with a sigh and said, "I've explained enough. Take it how you will. If you're not going to help, then stay out of our way. Celebi?"

A pink Pokémon came out of the foliage and took the Time Gear from where it floated. Team Rapid gasped as the pattern faded and the forest grew darker.

"Wh-why did you…?!" Martha demanded.

"Time has already stopped here," Celebi replied plainly. "The same as it is for the other four sanctuaries. Whether or not we take it now makes no difference. Nate is already on his way to the next Time Gear."

"You have one night," the lead clone said as all of the others dispersed into white smoke. "Come the sunrise, we're on the move again. Make your choice. If you're not going to help us, then stay out of our way."

The last substitute disappeared as a sphere of golden light enveloped Celebi. By the time the flash wore off, Celebi was gone with the Time Gear.

After the shock wore off, Martha looked around at the frozen area. They had failed to stop the Time Gear from being stolen, but things just got much bigger than the guild thought they were.

She had to report what happened, and what Nate had said.

* * *

After using an Escape Orb, Team Rapid returned to the first sublevel of the guild. But Martha wasn't eager to go downstairs and deliver her report.

Tisha seemed to sense this and put a hand on Martha's back, "Don't worry, hon, we've got your back."

"Er…" Wattson spoke up. "If it's all the same, I think I'll just take my escort and go home. It's almost my curfew. Plus," he indicated his branded arm by lifting it slightly, "I… don't think _my_ testimony would be any help to your case."

The other three squad members conceded that he had a point and dismissed him for the day. Once they arrived at the second sublevel, Chatot spotted them and asked for their report.

Martha sheepishly responded, "Actually… you might want to gather everybody around."

A few moments later, after Chatot reluctantly assembled everyone to listen to their report, Martha, Tisha and Augustus explained all that had happened once they reached the frozen glade.

The entire floor was quiet, and Chatot hesitantly spoke up, "So… restoring the Time Gears to their rightful places did nothing?"

Martha sadly shook her head.

"And… apparently, Grovyle was actually trying to prevent the planet's paralysis, along with his human-turned-Pokémon partner, while Dusknoir was trying to stop them. Even going so far as to deceive us all into helping him."

"Yeah," Augustus gravely nodded, seeming half-lost in thought.

"And, not only did Nate and his new accomplice steal the Time Gear at Treeshroud Forest again, but they are acting now because a structure called Temporal Tower is falling to ruin. And once this happens, the planet's paralysis will take place and be irreversible."

Tisha shrugged, not sure what else to do, "That's about it."

Chatot's brow furrowed, "And you _believed_ him?! This is the one who's deceived us all!"

Martha looked down in frustration, "How could we _not_? We saw the Time Gear placed in the frozen Treeshroud Forest with our own eyes."

"He said the other sanctuaries're frozen too," Augustus added.

"Hush now!" Chatot ordered. "The great Dusknoir meant to trap this world in darkness by ensuring the planet's paralysis? Impossible! Furthermore, I've never heard of this 'Temporal Tower', so that proves he must be lying!" He looked around, "Does anybody else believe Martha's claim?"

Dugtrio was stoic as usual, saying, "We hold the great Dusknoir in high regard. It is hard to believe."

"See?" Chatot said to Team Rapid. "There's no way that-"

"But…" Sunflora said at length. "If the sanctuaries are really frozen, it's worth sending somebody to look, isn't it?"

Chatot turned to him, "Sunflora?! The great Dusknior has done _nothing_ wrong!"

"WELL," Loudred added, "whether the great Dusknoir meant to or NOT, it'll be BAD if things go the way Nate said."

"All right, enough of this!" Chatot called. "Who here honestly believes what Martha and her recruits are saying? More than that, who believes Nate's word, the one who just abandoned the guild to steal the Time Gears?"

The floor was silent for a moment before Bidoof spoke up, "…I believe them."

Chatot gawked at Bidoof, "What?! So, Bidoof, you are now claiming that the great Dusknoir is a villain?!"

Bidoof shook, "Oof! I sure did think highly of the great Dusknoir. The idea sounds troubling when you put it that way. But… there's something more important. Martha and Nate are more important! So… I believe them!"

"What, what?!"

"Hey, hey! I believe her too!" Corphish added.

Sunflora squealed, "Me too! Oh my gosh! They're our guild colleagues, after all!"

"I believe them!" Loudred shouted.

"Me too!" Diglett declared.

Chimecho nodded, "So do I!"

"Casting doubt on our colleagues is wrong!" Dugtrio stated. "Trust is a must!"

Martha looked around and sniffled, glad to have everybody's support. After Chatot looked around at the other apprentices, Wigglytuff chimed in for the first time, "Well, hiya!"

Everybody turned to him, and he said, "Sounds like we all agree!"

The apprentices exclaimed, "HUH?!"

"We all believe our friends! That's great! Then let's begin searching for Temporal Tower!" Wigglytuff declared.

Loudred spoke up, "Whoa! Just hold ON there, Guildmaster!"

Wigglytuff turned to him, tilting his head quizzically, "Hm? What's wrong?"

"We're not ALL in agreement yet, are we?" Loudred asked.

"Huh?" Wigglytuff only looked more confused.

"We're all good with the story…" Loudred explained. "But I suspect that Chatot isn't convinced."

Wigglytuff laughed, "Oh? Is that all? You don't need to worry about Chatot."

"HUH?" the other apprentices echoed.

"Chatot is convinced, right?" Wigglytuff asked, turning to face the Pokémon in question. "Because Chatot believed Martha's story all along! Right, Chatot? Why else would you send Martha after Nate instead of calling the police?"

Chatot turned around from everybody and started laughing quietly, but eventually, he let out a laugh that seemed rather forced. Loudred was baffled, "WH-WHAT?"

"How peculiar…" Sunflora commented.

Chatot shook his head, "Well, Guildmaster, there's no fooling you. I admit it." He turned to face the crowd with a smile, "Yes, I believed Martha from the start. Also, I suspected that Ia-… Nate, had his reasons for deserting the guild."

"HUH?" the apprentices questioned. "REALLY?!"

"But if I would have said I believed them right away…" Chatot explained. "Everyone would have just gone along with what I said."

Loudred shook his head, mumbling, "What's all this…?"

Chatot ignored what Loudred said and continued, "That's why I was so contrary! I wanted to put your friendship to the test!"

"Gosh, likely story…" Bidoof muttered.

Chatot smiled again, "But without a doubt, I was convinced from the get-go! I knew everyone… would surely believe their colleagues!"

"Says you…" Sunflora quietly commented.

As Chatot laughed again, Wigglytuff walked up to Martha and her recruits, "Martha! I believe you! I believe in Nate too! You're my good friends in guild membership!"

He called everyone's attention, "Now listen, everyone! Time is stopping in more and more places. From Martha's report, we know our world is in danger. That means we have to do something! This is our time! In the name of Wigglytuff's Guild… We'll combine all our efforts! We'll discover Temporal Tower! Let's do this, everyone!"

"HOORAY!"

Wigglytuff abruptly turned to Chatot, "Chatot!"

"Y-yes, sir," Chatot nodded. "Okay, everyone! From now on, we're shifting all our efforts to locating Temporal Tower! We also have to let everyone know what is happening in our world. It's going to get busy! We'll all have to work hard!"

The apprentices agreed, Bidoof and Diglett volunteering to let everybody in Treasure Town know.

Sunflora chimed in, "We have to let Azelf and his friends know too! If they're back at their lakes, they may try to stop Nate!"

"Hey, hey! Then I'll go tell them!" Corphish offered.

"Okay! Everyone else, search for a lead on Temporal Tower, please!" Chatot ordered.

Martha thought back to what had happened the day before Nate's desertion. She spoke up, "Actually, I may have an idea about that."

When everybody turned to her, Martha said, "Remember how we asked you about my Relic Fragment yesterday, Chatot? It was Nate's idea. And when we visited Torkoal, he said that the symbol represented someone bearing the qualifications to enter the 'Hidden Land.' I know that Nate wouldn't investigate the pattern without a reason. Do you think Temporal Tower could be _in_ the Hidden Land?"

Martha held up the Relic Fragment and Wigglytuff seemed thoughtful for a moment, but then said, "It's worth investigating." He smiled, "In that case, it'll be easier! Chatot! This pattern… we've seen this somewhere. Haven't we?"

Everyone exclaimed in question and Chatot seemed surprised as well, but then he was slowly recalling, "Y-yes… The sea inlet to the northwest… Inside Brine Cave…" Chatot sweated a bit, "But, Guildmaster! That place…!"

Wigglytuff nodded, "Yes, I know. That vicious bandit was there."

The apprentices murmured about the threat, but Wigglytuff called their attention again, "Everyone, please listen. I once saw this same pattern deep inside a place called Brine Cave. I think we can discover more by taking the Relic Fragment there. However, there is one problem. A Pokémon lurks there who is a vicious bandit."

"Hey, hey!" Corphish called. "We're not about to let that scare us!"

Sunflora added, "We all need to be brave!"

Everyone started conversing about how to overcome this threat, and Wigglytuff nodded, "Thanks, everyone! But that place is challenging. Everyone should take time today and tomorrow to get ready. We'll set off for Brine Cave in two days!"

"HOORAY!"

"All right, everyone! Spend your time getting ready!" Wigglytuff ordered. "Okay! Dismissed!"

"HOORAY!"

Everybody left to prepare, and Martha took some time to dismiss her recruits. While she watched them go, she overheard Wigglytuff say something to Chatot.

"Chatot, you stay at the guild on standby," he requested.

Chatot's feathers ruffled, "G-Guildmaster! Forgive me if I'm out of line, but… Please, let me go to Brine Cave!"

Wigglytuff shook his head sadly, "Nope! I can't let you face danger like that ever again."

"But that's why!" Chatot fumed. "That's why I must go! Please, take me to Brine Cave!"

Wigglytuff hesitated, but agreed, "Okay. Then I want you to go with Team Rapid tomorrow. Guide Martha and Nate's team to the place where we saw that strange pattern. But I want you to be careful."

Chatot smiled, "Thank you! I won't let you down!"

"Another thing…" Wigglytuff added. "I have something I need to do, so I have to go out. You're in charge while I'm gone."

"As you wish," Chatot replied with a nod.

After Wigglytuff left to his chambers to get some supplies, Chatot turned to Martha, "So that's where it stands. You will be with me in two days' time. Nate too, if he can make it. As such, Team Rapid's nonguild members may not come along. Brine Cave has a vicious foe lying in wait. You mustn't let down your guard! And don't do anything that keeps me from succeeding there!"

Martha resisted the urge to roll her eyes and simply agreed.

Outside the window of the guild, a fluttering figure listened in on what Martha had said, and what the guild decided to do. After hearing all that he needed to, he flew away, excited to pass on the information.

"Heh-heh-heh!"

* * *

**Notes:**

**1\. Translation: the Current Ring boosts PP.**

**This is me concentrating on writing one story at a time. Expect it to fluctuate as I am forced to balance it with how much I need to study.**

**See you when I see you.**

**-AJ203**


	18. TFW You're No Longer Welcome

**By request, for those who wanted information on the members of Team Rapid, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Information Center is now updated with profiles for the aforementioned Pokémon.**

**Just wanted to let you know. On with the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 18: That Feeling When You're No Longer Welcome

Zubat flew back excitedly to his Chief, carrying the information about the Relic Fragment and the Hidden Land. Once he arrived at their usual meeting spot just outside of Treasure Town, Skuntank ordered him to report.

Once he relayed the information, Koffing commented, "Whoa-ho-ho! So that junk was really valuable after all!"

"But we still can't go anywhere near the guild, no thanks to that Pikachu," Skuntank seethed. "We'll have to ambush Team Rapid while they're at Brine Cave." He smirked, "We'll steal the Relic Fragment…"

"Show the bandit our noxious gas combo…" Koffing added with a grin.

Zubat laughed, "And be the first exploration team to explore the Hidden Land!"

The three laughed, leaving for their shelter a few miles away. After a few moments of silence, the ground burst nearby to where they had been talking. A substitute of Nate crawled out of the hole, having been left behind to find and spy on Team Skull. Nate had known that Team Skull would keep tabs on the happenings in the guild, and decided to use them as unwitting informants. So far, nothing of consequence had happened. The hunt for Nate, general revenge plotting, etc. But today's information merited a change in plan.

'So Wigglytuff knew all along about the Relic Fragment, huh? And Martha figured out the Hidden Land housed Temporal Tower all on her own, along with the way to get there,' the clone mused. 'But Team Skull is planning to ambush Martha for the Relic Fragment. The original will probably want to know this.'

After kicking the dirt back into the hole to cover his tracks, the substitute dispelled in a puff of white smoke.

* * *

Camped just outside the Southern Jungle, Nate and Celebi were resting around a fire (lit courtesy of Nate's electricity). While Celebi reclined against the trunk of a tree, Nate sat in a pseudo-meditative state, arms crossed with his eyes closed. He and Grovyle always conditioned themselves to need minimal rest, so he was only biding his time until sunrise.

When Nate got a fresh wave of knowledge from his substitute, he took a deep breath before standing up and opening his eyes. Celebi opened her eyes too, awakened by the noise.

"What happened?" Celebi asked.

Nate took up one of the two bags, filled with supplies from Treeshroud Forest and the various other dungeons he and Celebi had crossed to reach their current location. Once he had it over his shoulder, he simply said, "The plan's changed."

Celebi fluttered over and Nate let her establish a psychic link to read the memories he'd just received. She shook her head, "You want me to gather the Time Gears myself?"

"It's all over if Martha loses the Relic Fragment to Team Skull," Nate explained. "Also, I want to be there when Martha reaches Brine Cave. They'll leave the guild in two days, and tomorrow, Corphish is heading to the Underground Lake to let the Lake Guardians know to not attack. Did you also see how to get to each sanctuary?"

Celebi nodded, and Nate nodded back, "Good. I'm heading back now. If I tunnel underground and dodge the mystery dungeons that should save me some time."

* * *

Once Martha had let the recruits know that she was going to be training all day, they joined in, taking turns going into the mazes. Martha also let everybody have their pick of TM's from the multitude she and Nate had accrued in storage.

Maribel learned Roost and Endure to compliment her Endeavor move. Then she as well as Terrence learned Steel Wing to guard against attacks, while Terrence upped his versatility with a Dragon Claw TM. Psymon learned Ice Beam for combating Grass-type Pokémon. Augustus learned Brick Break and Aerial Ace.

"Wait a minute," Maribel commented with a raised eyebrow, "how are _you_ supposed to fly?"

"Mm-mm…" Augustus grunted, showing that he wasn't going to tell. "But having a never-miss move might come in handy."

When Wattson took a Thief TM to use, he looked around as everybody watched him hold it.

"What? If I'm going to be treated like this, I might as well own up to the dirty fighting to take items from outlaws," Wattson explained. Then he held up the three claws on one of his hands, "Besides, I can count the ones on our team that have moves for Ghost-types on one hand."

Ignoring them, he held the TM to his forehead, and it dimmed after it was used.

Team Rapid went back to surveying the TM's. Regina passed on using one, because she was unable to use them until she evolved. Tempest more than happily used a Hyper Beam TM that they had stored long ago. Meanwhile, Tisha learned Flamethrower to keep with her distance fighting as well as have something to combat Grass and Ice-types, two of her weaknesses. Seeing that as a good move, Ferra used a TM for Shock Wave and Rock Tomb to deal with Water and Fire.

Martha learned Dig and Shadow Ball, along with Substitute. The former two, for more versatility in her movepool; the latter… While she didn't approve of what Nate had done, she had to admit that it was a clever use of Substitute.

With all of their moves picked out, Team Rapid headed to Marowak Dojo for training. Occasionally, one of the recruits would go check the mission boards for missions to do. Once the planet's paralysis was averted, they would still have jobs to do.

While inside the Psychic/Fighting Maze, to test her new Shadow Ball move, Martha tried making Substitutes. But she started getting a headache when she formed one, let alone several.

No matter how hard she concentrated, the clone wouldn't move when Martha gave the mental command, and the clone's speech was stilted, having no personality. She didn't even know when Nate had _learned_ Substitute. Just how long had he been practicing with it?

One thing it did automatically, though, was that it intercepted attacks, moving robotically to get in the way of any opponents that were about to attack. Martha shook her head; that was a plus, but it always got in the way of her own attacks.

Martha sighed. It looked like she had her work cut out for her with learning to control a substitute.

* * *

While Psymon was looking over the mission boards, Sunflora ran by, climbing down the entrance and rapidly moving to go to the lowest sublevel.

"Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh!" She repeated as she went down. Psymon raised an eyebrow, commenting, "Whoa, where's the fire?"

"WHAT?!"

Psymon looked down the hole and was knocked out of the way by Chatot, the acting leader flying straight up the passage to get to the surface. Regardless, the recruit's interest was piqued, so he followed after Chatot.

When he left the guild, he saw a slight crowd of guild members gathered at the crossroads. After seeing what they were gathered around, his eyes widened. Psymon ran down the stairs and made his way around the crowd, running to go get Martha.

* * *

When Martha and Psymon arrived at the back of the crowd, Martha slipped through two of the apprentices and looked to confirm what Psymon had told her. She saw Nate with his hands raised in surrender. Unlike yesterday, this Nate had a bag over his shoulder. It was a bag used for money, but it seemed to be lumpy, as if filled with other objects.

"Hello," Nate casually greeted.

The guild seemed on the fence about how to receive him. On the one hand, he had practically denounced all of them, and deserted the guild to carry on his mission. On the other, that mission was to save the world, which they were unlikely to believe without the evidence that he forced them to see. More than that, they didn't even know if this was the real Nate.

"You can always test whether or not I'm a substitute," Nate offered, picking up on their hesitance. A mere moment later, Loudred decked him in the face none too gently. The other apprentices started scolding him, but Nate held up his hand, sitting up and popping his neck.

"There. Test passed," Nate said sardonically.

Chatot stepped forward, "Why would you return?"

"A little clone told me that you found a way to the Hidden Land," Nate said playfully as he stood again. "I'm here so that my associate and I can tag along and take the Time Gears to Temporal Tower."

When silence met his statement, Nate waved his hand, "Oh, don't worry, I'm not expecting you all to house me again after that little stunt I pulled. I have enough food, and I can just as easily make my own shelter. I just wanted to let you know that I'm nearby and ready when you are."

Nate felt the ground shift under him and he glanced down to see the dirt subtly piling over his feet, seeming to attempt to pull him into the ground. Arena Trap.

Nate rolled his eyes, "Fine. If you _insist_ on having someone keep tabs on me, I can ask Wattson to let me stay the night with him. The police are already watching his house, so that effectively knocks out two birds with one Rock Throw."

"And if I know Martha, she's probably training at…" As Nate was addressing the crowd, he spotted Martha and Psymon. "…Oh. Well, that saves me the trouble of repeating myself."

* * *

A police escort came to take Nate to Wattson's house, the ex-outlaw giving his approval for quartering Nate.

The team had dozens of questions for Nate, some out of curiosity, others out of anger, but Martha reminded them that it was still a training day in preparation for the trip to Brine Cave.

Each of the teammates learned a few new moves in their training from leveling up, except Regina, of course. She seemed rather pensive throughout the whole process; giving her all, of course, but deep in thought.

Martha learned Take Down; an exceptionally powerful move, given her ability. But she found her focus lagging as she couldn't get her mind off of Nate being merely a few miles away. After she dismissed everybody for the day, she noticed Augustus talking to Wattson. Martha didn't hear what they said, but Wattson shrugged and waved for Augustus to follow.

She waited for all of the other recruits to leave the dojo, and then hurried to follow Augustus and Wattson, making sure to stay out of sight.

* * *

Nate sat at the table in the center of Wattson's house, not wanting to surprise him when he got home. He was asking too much of the Electric Pokémon already.

Once he heard footsteps, he looked up, seeing Wattson come in through the doorway, along with Augustus.

Nate smiled, "Augustus. I presume you either came here to ask questions or demand answers."

When Augustus remained silent, Nate raised an eyebrow, "Or have you figured it out already?"

Wattson and Augustus took their seats. From how silent Wattson was, Nate surmised that Augustus had already shared his theory with Wattson.

"You said you were leaving," Augustus started. "And you said you didn't have a choice."

"That is correct," Nate replied.

Augustus' eyes narrowed, more out of caution than suspicion, "Tell me something, Nate. What happens to Pokémon from the future when history is changed?"

"Quite frankly, the same thing that happens to the old future," Nate answered. "We never happen."

* * *

Once Martha was sure that none of the others would hear or see her coming closer, she moved up to the wall of the house, right under the window and started listening in. Wattson and Nate were talking while Augustus was silent.

"How can you do this?!" Wattson demanded. "You're the only one that I can at least call an ally on this team. Everybody else hates me, and only puts up with me because I'm on the team through probation."

"Well then, after this, you'll be an essential member of the team. So they'll have to deal with it," Nate replied. "Besides, I already told you I was leaving."

Martha's jaw dropped, 'Leaving?!'

Wattson replied, "Yeah, but I didn't think that you meant you were leaving for good! I thought if worse came to worse, I could ask you to come back."

"There is no coming back for me," Nate said with finality. "I must be with the rest of my kind."

After a length of silence, Augustus spoke up, "Well, since tomorrow's mission is guild-exclusive, I guess this is goodbye. It was… interesting working with you, Nate. And, I guess if you never convinced me, I never would've found this team."

"I'll hold you both to your promise," Nate responded. Martha heard a grunt of acknowledgment from Augustus while Wattson muttered, "I guess I can't say no to a last wish…"

As she leaned closer to hear Wattson's mutter, she heard behind her, "Hasn't anybody taught you that it's rude to eavesdrop?"

Martha whipped her head around and saw that there was another Nate. He grabbed her by the ruff of fur around her neck and dragged her through the doorway. At the table, Nate looked up from his conversation with Augustus and Wattson, "Ah, Martha. I thought you would be visiting."

Martha pulled away from Nate's grip, "I heard everything, Nate."

Nate just stared back, his face not betraying any worry or regret.

Wattson sweated a bit as the tension mounted in the room. He pushed his chair away from the table, "I've just remembered, I need to go to Apple Woods to restock my pantry!"

"You'll need an escort from another teammate," Augustus reminded the ex-outlaw as he followed Wattson out of the door.

The Nate that brought Martha in took a seat on Wattson's chair. The two of them crossed their arms, tilting their heads in mirror of each other, speaking in unison, "So, I presume you came here with questions."

Martha looked between the two of them, trying to figure out the fake. Nate wouldn't have risked a counter and sent a Substitute to detain an interloper… Unless he knew that she'd know that about him and send one anyway, having another lying in wait to intercept if… Martha shook her head in confusion. Then she felt her ire rise when the two Nates chuckled.

"Uncanny, isn't it?" they joked. "Truthfully, it wouldn't have mattered who went, because you would be so busy trying to figure out which was real, that you'd already be pulled inside by the time you did anything."

Martha's brow furrowed, "How long have you known that move? I never saw you go near any Substitute TM's."

"I've known it all along," one explained.

Martha raised an eyebrow, "But weren't you-"

"A human?" the other finished. "Yes. But just because I couldn't breathe fire, wield plant swords or suplex a boulder didn't make me completely helpless."

"What, you think I just sat on my hands while Grovyle did all of the fighting?"

"You think a human can avoid Ghost-types without a little assistance?"

"Also, little secret, Dark-type moves are in the _intent_, more than anything else."

Martha sighed, "I guess not. How do you do that, though? I learned Substitute from a TM, and I can barely make one walk, much less… whatever you have your clones do."

Both of them raised their eyebrows and looked at each other, "A clone?" They turned back to her, "_Have _them do? Martha, you insult me."

"These aren't mere copies or drones that follow my orders; I've evolved the technique much further than that."

"They think, they _learn_, after the base knowledge that I implant in them. The personality is still mine, but the decisions are theirs."

"So you put your personality in them? But they're independent?" Martha asked. "That sounds simple enough to fix."

Both of the Nates laughed at Martha. She frowned, "What's so funny?"

"There's _nothing_ simple about this!" one said.

The other wiped a mock tear away, "Do you even know _yourself_ that well that you can predict what a proxy of the exact same personality would do? Can you even _create_ one with the same personality, or just how you ideally see yourself?"

"And Arceus forbid that they actually think they're independent," the first commented. "Could you imagine explaining to someone that you literally hold their existence, everything they are, their being, in the palm of your hand?"

"It would tear them apart," the other agreed. "In order to wield this technique, it requires decades of introspection. You must know precisely what you would do in any conceivable situation that might happen to your proxy."

"Your substitute must know you; all the good, bad, and horrendous."

"If you hate yourself for doing something, your substitute will hate you for it."

The two said in unison, "And you think that you can master this?"

"'Decades'?" Martha echoed in surprise, catching what Nate had so casually mentioned.

One of them held up a hand, "Oh, right. Aging isn't a factor when the planet's paralyzed. With no time flowing… well, let's just say I still look pretty good for a 413-year-old."

"Hard to be intimidating when your body is still the size and appearance of a four-year-old, though," the other said with crossed arms and an irked expression. Then he tilted his head in consideration, "Though it made it a lot easier to hide."

"But don't try to change the subject," one of the Nates chided Martha. "In order to work with a Substitute, you must keep _no secrets_ from yourself."

Martha shook her head, "How can you keep a secret from yourself?"

"Let me answer your question with another question."

"Why did you grow up alone?"

Martha stepped back in shock.

"Why did bad Pokémon scare you?"

"Why did you go from being scared to hating them so much…"

"…you'd turn one away that was clearly willing to reform?"

"Stop it," Martha said.

"I think we know you better than _you_ do," one of the Nates smiled.

The other crossed his arms, "I bet that since I left, you've been looking for an excuse to dismiss Wattson."

"Did my lesson on shades of gray just slip right through you?"

"Quit it!"

Both Nates shook their heads, "It is far too easy to push your buttons, Martha. You must rein in your temper, or you'll never get the control necessary for what you want out of this move."

Her eyes narrowed, "This talk isn't about _me_. How would _you _like it if I asked _you_ about your personal life?"

"I wouldn't mind it at all," Nate replied without hesitation. "It's _you_ who would find it unpleasant."

Martha then remembered what she had overheard, "What's this I hear about you returning to the future when all is said and done?"

The two Nates each raised an eyebrow and glanced at each other. At length, the one that had spoken with Augustus and Wattson earlier nodded and left the room to go keep watch outside.

Nate steepled his fingers, "Martha, did my first Substitute not tell you that our partnership was never going to be forever? It was inevitable that I would one day re-join the rest of my kind. Somebody's going to have to look after things in the future, and it's most certainly not going to be Dusknoir."

"What about me?" Martha asked.

Nate raised an eyebrow, not faltering, "What _about_ you?"

Martha seemed hurt, but Nate forced himself to continue, tone still even, "If you're going to tell me that you aren't strong enough without me, that's a lie, and you know it. I've watched you grow from a spineless coward to a legitimate explorer."

"_You're_ the reason that I'm strong," Martha protested. "How can you just leave me behind? How am I supposed to go on?"

"I know you'll be in good hands," Nate replied. "You think that the recruits I insisted you choose were chosen on a whim? You've got a cohesive unit that will have your best interests at heart. Unlike me, you still have friends that you can depend on. You have a team. You have the guild."

Martha frowned, "It's your team too. They're _your_ friends, too. And you'll just leave them behind?"

"They're _not_ my friends anymore. Did you not see the reception I got on my return, Martha?" Nate got down from his chair, "I have to do this, Martha. And there's nothing you can say or do that will change my mind. Honestly, it'll probably be better, since I won't be around to remind everyone of the mistakes they made with the Time Gears. Now, if you have no more questions, I should rest up for tomorrow's trip to Brine Cave."

Martha looked heartbroken as Nate turned away, refusing to speak to her anymore.

Eventually, after trying and failing to say anything else, twice, Martha turned and left the house, a glum look on her face.

Once she was gone, the other Nate came back in. The two looked at each other, and the one that spoke to Martha nodded before dispelling himself. The other clone took his place at the table, sitting with his eyes closed, and waiting for Wattson to return.

* * *

Underneath Wattson's house, in a chamber dug into the ground, Nate was sleeping at the bottom. He had been exhausted from traveling all night, and being exhausted wouldn't have done anything for his cause, so he had created an extra-durable Substitute to go in his stead. He was sure that 75 percent of his energy would be enough to endure a clone test, unless they all attacked at once.

Nate's eyes opened as he was awakened by the new information. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. It had been two hours; more than enough time to get him through until sleeping tonight.

Once the human-turned-Pokémon sorted through the new memories, he figured it out. His Substitute had used a third of his energy to create another Substitute to stand guard. This one had caught Martha eavesdropping and then gave her the speech about why he wasn't coming back after she misunderstood that he was going back to the future.

Nate chuckled at the phrasing, '"Re-join the rest of my kind." Hilarious. Still, that should be enough. Nobody misses a scoundrel. Even better if she doesn't come to the Hidden Land with me and Celebi.'

With that settled, Nate left to surface in Wattson's house, making sure to fill in the tunnel as he went. It was time to step back in, while he was gone.

* * *

Martha rested in her bed for the night, unable to sleep after her confrontation with Nate.

She couldn't get over what he said; that she and everybody else somehow benefited from his leaving. Yes, Martha didn't _like_ what Nate did, lying to everybody, including her. But she didn't want him gone, and she was confident that the guild and the team would forgive him in time.

Then the earlier half of his conversation echoed in her mind.

She burrowed her head down into her bed, 'I don't… hate Wattson…'

Even in her own mind, it sounded like a feeble argument. Good was good, and bad was bad… that was how it always was for Martha. Shades of gray… Nate had tried to teach her about this after Drowzee. Like how Grovyle and Nate were forced to take extreme measures to save the world. How Dusknoir played the great hero, when in fact, he was dooming them all.

'Wattson… What's his story?' Martha wondered before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

On the northwesternmost point of the coast near Treasure Town, Wigglytuff waited on the rocky shore, looking to the sea for somebody.

Soon, the silhouette of a Pokémon could be seen swimming through the water. Their form was hard to make out in the moonlight, but as they got closer, Wigglytuff recognized them and his face lit up in a smile.

"Lapras!" he greeted. "Long time no see!"

The Transport Pokémon bowed his head in greeting, "It's been too long, Wigglytuff. You look well. Is Chatot doing well too?"

"Yes! Very well!" Wigglytuff replied with a nod.

Lapras smiled, "I'm glad to hear that! I've always meant to thank you. I deeply appreciate the promise you made… and upheld for all this time."

Wigglytuff waved a hand, "No problem! No big deal!" Then his smile fell a bit, "But today… I'm here to see you about that promise. We find ourselves in a situation where we can't afford to uphold that promise. I suspect you know the reason why."

Lapras nodded, and Wigglytuff continued, "So please tell me… about that strange pattern we once saw."

* * *

The next day, Martha woke up when the sun shone in through the window. She sighed, as she had grown accustomed to waking up early. Still, Martha supposed that it beat being woken up by Loudred.

She put the Treasure Bag over her back, arranging it so that she could reach various items with her mouth. With her items stocked from yesterday, she headed over to the morning address.

* * *

Nate waited by the crossroads of Treasure Town, flanked by two Magnemite and Officer Magnezone. He had his bag over his shoulder and waited with his arms crossed as he leaned against a tree.

The human-turned-Pokémon saw little point in having a Substitute go with the officers, as he didn't need to do anything else, and it would've been wasted energy. Today, he needed to save every bit that he could.

When the guild crew made their way down the stairs of the cliff, Chatot nodded to Officer Magnezone and the formation around Nate separated to put him in the guild's custody. Nate walked off to join the group and the officers left.

Nate just stood towards the side with Martha. Nobody greeted him, and they tried not to look at him, except for Martha. Nate could feel her gaze and said, without turning, "Do you have something to say to me, Martha?"

Martha cringed at the detached tone Nate used, and didn't get a chance to reply before Chatot called out, "All right, everyone! Let's move out to Brine Cave!"

Everybody but Nate cheered, "HOORAY!"

With Chatot in the lead, the guild's Pokémon and Nate made their way around the coast of the gulf that was next to Treasure Town. Martha fell into step next to Nate and cleared her throat. When he didn't respond, she cleared it again, slightly louder.

"You should have Chimecho check out that congestion," Nate casually said, still not facing Martha. When Martha huffed, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "What do you want? I was explicit yesterday, if you're going to try convincing me to stay."

"I just wanted to say… you'll always have a home here," Martha replied. "In the future, once the planet isn't paralyzed anymore, I'll probably be gone from old age, but… even if you have to go back, I would be happy if you visited."

Nate didn't say anything for a while, focusing on the path ahead. He let out a sigh, "Martha, it isn't that simple. Time travel isn't something that you can just ask for. If it was, history would be changing left and right, and rarely for the better, I'd bet. The only reason that my associate helped Grovyle and I get back to the past is because the future certainly can't get any _worse_. Once I'm gone, there's no coming back."

Martha's eyes widened and Nate sorted through what he'd said. No lies there. Time travel _was_ that dangerous, and he _wasn't_ coming back after he was gone.

"Well…" Martha said hesitantly, "could you at least hold onto this, to remember the team and me?"

Nate glanced back and saw Martha pull his old charm necklace out of the Treasure Bag with her mouth. It still had his badge on it. He looked between it and Martha's pleading expression and turned his eyes forward again, "I've been called a lot of things, Martha. Sentimental is not one of them."

Martha looked down, dejected, but she looked up again when Nate held his hand out. He was glancing back again, "I didn't say I _wouldn't_ take it." Martha smiled and gave it to him.

Nate looked at the necklace, cursing himself for caving to Martha's wishes. To not put her hopes up too high, he said, "I'll wear it after the world is safe." Then he stowed the necklace and badge into his own bag.

Martha's expression fell slightly, but she decided to look on the bright side, 'At least he accepted it. That has to mean something!'

* * *

**That's all for now. The next chapter will show just how much impact Nate having his memories will have. I'll write it as swiftly as I am able, while still giving enough time to my school work.**

**See you when I see you.**

**-AJ203**


	19. A Road Paved With Good Intentions

Chapter 19: A Road Paved With Good Intentions

Within a couple of hours, the Pokémon arrived at the entrance to Brine Cave. Chatot turned to address the guild members and Nate.

"Now listen, everyone," he explained. "This is the entrance to Brine Cave. Your objective is to reach the deepest part of this dungeon. That is where one will find the same odd pattern inscribed on the Relic Fragment that Martha has."

Chatot frowned, "However, it is there where an extremely vicious Pokémon lurks."

The apprentices murmured for a bit before Corphish asked, "Hey, hey! Chatot! Yesterday, Guildmaster said something about that vicious Pokémon. But, Chatot, you seem to know just as much about this dungeon, hey, hey?"

"Chatot," Chimecho asked, "is it possible that you've been here before?"

Chatot nodded, "That's right. I have come here before. I explored here a long time ago with the Guildmaster. It was deep in this cave that we saw the peculiar pattern. It was then, however… Those tough Pokémon appeared."

"S-so, what were they like?" Loudred attempted to ask casually. "Tough, you say?"

"Uh…" Chatot hesitated before saying, "I don't remember at all."

When everybody was surprised, Chatot cringed, "I'm loath to admit it, but… They attacked with no warning out of nowhere. I was knocked out before I could do a thing. When I came to, the Guildmaster was tending to my wounds. But I had no memory of events before that. So I couldn't tell you what the attackers were like."

Chatot sighed as the apprentices discussed that they would need to proceed with caution. Nate was about to speak up, since he noticed an inconsistency to Chatot's story, but Martha beat him to it.

"Wait, please," she said. She turned to Chatot, "Say, Chatot. At first you said there was one vicious Pokémon. But then you said 'they' attacked you. There's more than one?"

Chatot's eyes widened, and he gave the matter some thought, "…No, it wasn't just one. There was one extremely vicious Pokémon, yes. But it wasn't alone." His eyes widened, "When they attacked… Oh, I remember now! They attacked all at once… I recall getting slammed with water… Like a tidal wave!"

The apprentices debated about this new information, Diglett and Dugtrio mentioning that they would have to be careful because of their disadvantage. Sunflora also commented that it would be dangerous to go alone.

Chatot said "That's right" to get everyone's attention and then suggested, "We should make several groups to explore the cave."

The apprentices agreed and started forming up two groups of four between them. Chatot turned to Martha, "As the Guildmaster decreed yesterday, I will be traveling with your group today. Understood? But you must not expect me to do everything for you."

Martha nodded, though she didn't look happy about the jab at her skill.

Turning back to everyone else, he said, "All right, everyone! We're off to conquer Brine Cave! Let's give it our all!"

Everyone but Nate cheered, "HOORAY!"

As everybody started shuffling inside, Chatot glanced pointedly at Nate, who was already facing the cave, "I'll have my eye on you."

"You don't trust me?" Nate asked while turning his pupils to give Chatot a sideways glance.

Chaot paused and answered, "…I believe Martha's claim of your mission, but I don't trust _you_."

Nate faced the cave entrance again, "Good."

* * *

"Heh-heh-heh, Chief! Looks like those louts from the guild are already inside."

"Whoa-ho-ho! Should we follow them?"

"Chaw-haw-haw! Sounds good. We'll track them, but let's keep out of sight. When the right time comes along somewhere in the cave… that's when we'll grab that wimpy Martha's Relic Fragment! Then we'll hightail it to the deepest part of the cave. We'll grab all the glory of solving this mystery. And while we're here… It looks like that rat isn't so popular with the guild anymore." The leader of Team Skull smirked, "I don't think the guild would do anything if he went missing."

"Heh-heh! Brilliant, chief! Your plan's perfect!"

"Chaw-haw-haw! Naturally! Anyway… It will be us! Team Skull! We'll be the ones going to the Hidden Land!"

"Heh-heh-heh!"

"Whoa-ho-ho!"

"Chaw-haw!"

* * *

While Chatot led the way inside, Martha whispered to Nate, "Stop that!"

Nate didn't even turn, "Stop what?"

"Stop acting like you're a criminal outcast!" Martha ordered.

"What I did, deserting the guild, was, in fact, criminal," Nate outlined while using Thunder Shock on a Seel. "And can you name one part of me that _isn't_ an outcast? The only thing I have in common with this world is being a Pokémon. I'm not from this time, I'm the only one who possesses the Dimensional Scream, and even my _attitude_ is dissonant with this peaceful era. Don't you see? _I'm_ the odd one for being suspicious by nature. Augustus may have hated exploration teams, but I'm distrusting of everybody."

"You seemed to trust me soon after we met," Martha argued.

Nate scoffed, "That's because I knew with one look at your face that you couldn't tell an effective lie if your _life_ depended on it. Granted, you probably wouldn't have to in this peaceful era. Now focus. We need to get to this pattern that Chatot said he saw."

With the type being predominantly Water Pokémon, Nate made quick, efficient work of any opponents that got in the group's way. The only Pokémon he had slight trouble with was Gastrodon. But Martha was able to take them down with her Adaptability and Power Band boosting her strength. Provided Nate didn't get there first with Focus Punch.

Chatot didn't say anything, but he was internally surprised with how strong the fledgling team had grown.

Then he shook his head, 'I'm surprised at how strong _Martha's_ grown. They ceased being a team after Nate betrayed us, no matter what the Guildmaster says. Adding to that, they are not meant to be together. Nate is from the future.'

The trio of Pokémon continued making their way deeper into Brine Cave, and they eventually reached the waypoint. Nate immediately went over to wait by the opposite corridor, and Martha and Chatot stood near the Kangaskhan Rock.

With some difficulty, Martha took the Adventure Log from the statue and wrote in it by holding the quill in her mouth. It was messy writing, but it got the message across. As she did that, Chatot looked around.

"Yes…" he said to himself. He turned to Martha, "We're nearing the deepest part. But bear in mind, the closer we get to the end, the closer we get to those vicious Pokémon. We'll need to be on our guard."

Right as they were about to move on, there was a sound of glass shattering and a yellow pulse of light flew across the room. Everybody in the chamber found themselves frozen where they stood.

Martha had her face frozen in a shocked expression, Chatot's eyes were wide and Nate had his teeth grit in frustration. None of them could look, but they each recognized the telltale laugh.

"Chaw-haw-haw! Gotcha!"

None of them could speak or change their expressions in response, but Martha was surprised while Nate and Chatot felt their ire rise. Team Skull walked into the room, Skuntank having his Treasure Bag. Evidently, he wasn't taking any chances with both Team Rapid _and_ Chatot. A Petrify Orb was responsible for their current state.

The trio of Poison Pokémon surrounded Martha and Zubat sliced open the bag that Martha had with a Wing Attack, letting the Relic Fragment fall to the ground. He made sure not to touch Martha herself, or it would negate the petrification. Skuntank walked over and picked the item up, slipping it into his own Treasure Bag.

The most protest that Martha could utter was a strangled hum from her trying to speak without her mouth or vocal cords cooperating. All she could do was breathe while in this state.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Sorry, chumps," Koffing mocked. "But that treasure is coming with us."

"And Team Skull will be the first to explore the Hidden Land! Heh-heh-heh!" Zubat laughed.

"But first…" Skuntank leisurely made his way over to Nate, "you've been a thorn in our side for a while, rat."

Nate couldn't move his face, but his current expression was appropriate. Even frozen, something in his eye sparked, calculating his chances.

Skuntank smirked, "Oh, I know what you're thinking. The instant we attack you, you'll be free and you'll zap us. Zubat?"

Zubat fluttered forward and rested on the ground in front of Nate, looking up towards his face, "Heh-heh-heh! You're not the only one who can train!"

Zubat's ears changed colors, becoming black with the inner ear representing yellow irises. With his ears now resembling glaring demonic eyes, Zubat was holding a constant Mean Look on Nate. He wasn't totally frozen anymore, but he still couldn't move anything besides his face. He had already tried and found that he couldn't shut his eyes, so Nate set his face in a stoic expression and clenched his jaw, getting ready to endure the assault.

Martha and Chatot could only watch helplessly as purple claws extended from Skuntank's paws. Chatot's opinion of Nate wasn't the highest right now, but nobody deserved such treatment.

When the first Night Slash raked across Nate's back, cutting the strap of his bag at the same time, he refused to give them the satisfaction of a reaction. The second strike made him furrow his brow more, but still he would not cry out. At that point, Skuntank went for something more drastic and pierced Nate's side with his claws, hitting nothing vital, but cutting through the muscle to impale him. The human-turned-Pokémon gritted his teeth, but his expression did not change, even when Skuntank twisted his claws while pulling back out.

"Heh-heh-heh!" Zubat jeered. "Play the tough guy all you want. We'll teach you not to mess with Team-"

Right as Nate was about to get slashed again, the ground burst under Zubat. The eye contact was broken. Another Nate burst out of the ground, grabbing onto Zubat and shocking him with Thunderbolt. Strangely enough, Zubat wasn't taken out immediately, but the first Nate was free.

Before Team Skull could act, Nate used Discharge on the trio, instantly finishing off Zubat and leaving Koffing worse for wear and stunning Skuntank long enough for Nate to grab the bag and dash with Agility. Even as he left a trail of blood, Nate ignored his injuries to get some distance. A Reviver Seed floated out of Skuntank's bag to Zubat, but the Nate that had entered grabbed it out of the air and snapped it in two, rendering the item useless.

Everybody in the room, frozen faces aside, gawked at the underhanded move. Nate's Substitute threw away the two halves of the seed as the original said, "Took you long enough." He rooted through his bag and found an Oran Berry. He frowned. Ordinarily, he would break it in half to ration it, but he had lost a lot of blood.

"I had to make my way here, and then I had to find Zubat's location by his stupid laugh," the other defended. "Regardless, 50 percent is more than enough to wrestle down that stooge," he said, glaring at Koffing. "You handle Skuntank."

Nate chomped down the Oran Berry, and his wounds healed up, the stab being left a little pale, but still closed up. His double immediately charged Koffing, who tried to shoot him with Sludge. He dodged, and shot a Thunderbolt, but Koffing span with Gyro Ball and the bolt bounced away, for the most part, as Koffing advanced. Even so, the copy's tail gained a silver sheen to it before he slammed it into Koffing, halting his spin and sending him crashing into the wall.

The substitute charged, and Koffing instinctively shot out some Toxic gas to ward him away, but he charged through and latched on.

"Why would I care about being poisoned?" he asked as purple vein patterns appeared on his skin. "I'm just a copy."

Koffing tried to attack, but Nate's copy already activated a point-blank Thunderbolt. Even at only half-strength, it was enough to finish Koffing. The double released the unconscious Poison Pokémon and then turned around, catching and breaking the Reviver Seed that floated towards him.

He cringed as the poison went through him. He wouldn't be much further use like this, and healing items didn't work on clones. Regardless, he charged up a Focus Punch and rushed into Skuntank and the original's battle, trying to get a sneak attack on Skuntank.

* * *

While the clone engaged Koffing, starting off with a Thunderbolt, Nate and Skuntank stared each other down.

"Chaw-haw!" Skuntank laughed. "You could never take me out with your wimpy partner, and now you think you can take me out _yourself_?"

Nate smirked, "Think about it, Skuntank. I was at half energy from making that substitute the instant I heard glass shatter. You hit me three times with one of your deadliest attacks, and I still stand." His expression turned mocking, "Have you been too busy resting on your laurels to grow stronger? Have you relied too much on that 'noxious-gas combo'?"

Skuntank glared, "You think I'd have my team train and not join in?" He blew a Flamethrower at Nate and the human-turned-Pokémon dodged with Double Team. Skuntank got zapped by a Thunderbolt, but he shrugged it off and turned around to the source. Nate had his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

"I'm saying that it's too late to close the gap," he pointed out. "I can tell from looking at you. You haven't had a serious fight on equal terms in a while. You have no _skills_ to fall back on."

Before Skuntank could retort, he got slammed in the side of his jaw from the other Nate's Focus Punch. Soon after the attack connected, the clone dispelled himself.

"And your experience in fighting multiple opponents is lacking," Nate lectured. "Just because you overpowered Martha and me in Apple Woods, doesn't mean that would always be the case."

Skuntank growled, "I'll show you _skill_!"

Skuntank appeared about to spray his gas and Nate smiled, saying in a conversational tone, "You know the funny thing about methane, the main component of natural gas?"

As the leader of Team Skull shot the spray, Nate shot a Thunderbolt at it. The gas ignited, and the new flame traveled back to the source, Skuntank. He managed to cut off the gas before it got to him and traveled inside, but the fire caught on his fur, in addition to him getting shocked by the electric attack itself.

"It's very flammable," Nate finished as Skuntank rolled on the wet ground to try putting himself out. "The average lightning bolt can heat the air surrounding it up to 30,000 kelvins. While a Pikachu cannot match the intensity of a lighting bolt with its own electricity, I've tested mine on a log of wood, and found that the heat can ignite it." He let out a single chuckle, "It's quite funny. I always knew you were a gasbag **(1)**, but I never thought your weakness would be _this_ easy to figure out."

"STOP MOCKING ME!" Skuntank shouted as he charged with his Night Slash ready. That was what Nate had been hoping he'd do.

With his hand reaching into the item bag, Nate used his size to slip inside the enraged Skuntank's attack and shoved a white seed with a black x on it into Skuntank's face. The seed cracked upon impact and black gas enveloped Skuntank's head. He tried to continue the attack, but Nate jumped over Skuntank and avoided the attack.

Skuntank tried to shake his head clear, but the damage was done. He had recognized too late what the item was: a Blinker Seed. All he could see was black nothingness. He was officially at Nate's mercy now, and considering the underhanded tactics he'd used, that thought made him uneasy.

Skuntank blindly slashed around, trying to get a hit on Nate, "I thought you guild chumps were supposed to fight fair and square!"

Nate laughed, "What? You think I'm a person of _principle_, like Martha? No. You saw me playing nice for appearances. Where I come from, you do whatever it takes to defeat the opponent, or you lose your _life_. Too bad your teammates are down; otherwise, you might've stood a chance. Now… I think I owe you some hearty zaps for those Night Slashes. In fact, I think I'll go for the big one, just for fun. You're probably tough enough to survive it, given that you've shrugged off everything else."

Skuntank was still stumbling around blindly, slashing his claws against stone trying to find Nate. As he did so, Nate's tail took on a blue glow. Rain clouds gathered at the ceiling of the chamber. Skuntank felt the drops of water, and a chill went down his spine. He actually feared for his survival at this point. The word he heard Nate utter felt like a nail in his coffin.

"Thunder."

Lightning bolts rained down from above, with Skuntank as the focal point. He tried to run, not caring of which direction, but one bolt zapped him and several more struck while he was stunned.

For nearly a whole minute, Skuntank was struck by the lightning bolts from the artificial storm. Nate only cut off the storm when the Skunk Pokémon fell on his side; and only after he shot a couple more bolts for good measure, to make sure he wasn't faking.

Nate's tail glowed blue again, cutting off the storm as he made his way over to Skuntank's prone form, picking up his own forgotten bag from the ground. Upon closer inspection, Nate found that Skuntank wasn't breathing. Nate let out a sigh through his nose and pulled out a Reviver Seed from his bag before attaching it to Skuntank's side. The seed took root and Nate rifled through Skuntank's Treasure Bag while it restored him.

Skuntank's eyes snapped open with a gasp as he took some deep breaths, even though it seemed to hurt for him to breathe. He saw Nate and tried to move, but groaned in pain.

"Don't move," Nate ordered. "Your heart stopped for a few seconds there."

As Nate pulled out an Oran Berry and placed it in his own bag, Skuntank furrowed his brow and asked, "Why?"

"You're annoying," Nate listed as he took back the Relic Fragment, "you've caused problems for us and those close to us, and your seeking glory would've cost the world its future. But you're hardly worth killing. There are far, _far_ worse Pokémon out there than your little band of crooked explorers."

Skuntank said nothing as Nate turned away and said, "Once you're fully healed, take your team and get out of here."

"Someday…" Skuntank rasped. "I'm… gonna beat you…"

Nate glanced over his shoulder, "Whether you mean trickery or fighting, I'm afraid that I won't be able to meet you for that rematch."

The human-turned-Pokémon tied a knot between the cut strings to slip it over his shoulder again and rushed over to Martha and Chatot, tapping each of them to negate the petrification.

He ignored the shocked and contemplative looks from the respective Pokémon as he said, "Come on, we've wasted enough time. Temporal Tower could collapse at any moment."

"Nate…" Martha began, before Nate simply turned on his heel and began walking down the corridor forward. She huffed and ran ahead to intercept him.

Nate's brow furrowed slightly, "Out of my way."

"No!" Martha refused. "That was excessive, even for Team Skull! You nearly killed him!"

Nate raised an eyebrow, "I brought him back, didn't I?"

"That doesn't excuse what you did!" Martha argued. "Pokémon should not kill other Pokémon."

"And yet it happens," Nate replied plainly. "Granted, neither Grovyle nor I took pleasure in the prospect, but we would if we had to. Besides, it's about more than just our survival. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of innocent lives, potential futures meant to be in peace, hanging in the balance."

Martha seemed irritated by Nate's cold logic, "That… That's no way to live!"

"And yet it's the way I've been forced to live," Nate curtly countered, stepping around Martha to continue forward. Martha used the dash from a Quick Attack to cut him off again.

Nate rolled his eyes, "You know, I honestly find your ideals endearing, but your stubborn attitude is trying my patience."

Martha paused and said, "I'd like my Relic Fragment back, please."

"Your bag's torn," Nate replied. Then he handed it over, "Though I suppose you can keep it in the Treasure Bag."

Martha put the stone into the Treasure Bag and then took a deep breath, seeming to have come to a decision. "Nate, I-"

"Later," Nate interrupted, walking past her and waiting right before entering the dungeon. "We need to get to the deepest part of Brine Cave. Chatot?"

The guild's head of intelligence blinked, having been caught up in watching their argument. He started moving to lead them further, "Er… Yes. This-"

Martha took a deep breath and shouted, "Nate, I'm coming with you to the future!"

Chatot was surprised at the outburst, and Nate didn't turn around for a few seconds. For a while, only the light shimmering of the Reviver Seed filled the room. Skuntank wasn't one for manners, and even _he_ felt like he was intruding on the conversation now.

At length, Nate turned around, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Martha said, with a look in her eye that _dared_ Nate to try telling her otherwise.

Surprisingly, Nate turned to Chatot, "Don't you have anything to say about a move like that?"

Martha's words sank in, and Chatot became defensive, "Martha! You aren't allowed to simply abandon your guild duties!"

"Well, what's Nate doing?" Martha retorted. "He's a member of Team Rapid too! If I can't go, then make him stay!"

"That's different!" Chatot said, trying to appeal to Martha's reason. "He was never 'Ian'! He lied about his identity; therefore, his membership is null and void!"

Skuntank managed to shakily stand as Koffing and Zubat crawled closer to him along the ground. They briefly thought about making another grab for the Relic Fragment, but Nate was watching them closely, electricity sparking.

They looked at each other, and Skuntank took out an Escape Orb. There were all sorts of things bigger than them in this mission, and they wanted no part of it.

Nate let his attention drift back to Martha and Chatot's argument once Team Skull evacuated the dungeon. But he quickly decided to intervene.

"You know, this squabbling isn't getting us any closer to our objective," he said, bringing their attention back to the task at hand.

"No, but at least it helped us catch up to you."

The trio turned, Nate recognizing the voice, while the other two were confused. Wigglytuff and Celebi made their way into the chamber.

"Celebi," Nate greeted. Then he turned, "Wigglytuff? Did you find Celebi to lead her here?"

"Yup," Wigglytuff nodded. "I let her know that we were about to find the way to the Hidden Land, and she had already gathered up all five Time Gears." He turned to Chatot, saying, "Chatot! I'm glad to see you're okay."

Chatot shook his head, "There was no cause for concern, Guildmaster. We were held up by a run-in with those Team Skull scoundrels, but Nate handled-" Chatot's beak shut with a click, as he had forgotten that Wigglytuff still considered them friends.

Instead of the expected confusion, Wigglytuff simply nodded and said, "Those three? I see. I heard the argument, and I don't see the problem. Of course Martha can go with Nate to the future!"

"Wh-what?!" Chatot sputtered.

Martha smiled, "Really?!"

"Sure!" Wigglytuff cheered. "You two are inseparable partners! You balance each other! It would be cruel to split you two up!"

"G-Guildmaster!" Chatot tried to protest. "Nate openly denounced the guild, and he's been committing identity fraud this entire time!"

Wigglytuff waved a hand, "That's okay! We can just change his name in the registry! As long as we keep their names in our records, they'll be able to pick up where they left off in the future guild! It'll be sad to see them go, but they have to stay together!"

While the conversation was going on, Nate and Celebi discreetly locked eyes. Neither of their expressions changed, but they subtly nodded and came to an agreement.

"Anyway," Wigglytuff announced, "we need to get you three to the end of Brine Cave! With Celebi helping, we should be able to make up for lost time!" He walked up to the entrance of the corridor, "I'll be going on ahead by myself to clear the way."

Chatot held up his wing as Wigglytuff rushed forward, "W-wait! Guildmaster!" But he was already gone on his own.

With that settled, Nate said, "Well, seems everybody's happy with this new development. Shall we go on?"

As the group moved forward, Martha added, "You don't look happy."

"I'm never happy."

The trek through the second half of the dungeon was much the same as the first half. The only difference being that Celebi could take out any Gastrodon with Magical Leaf before Martha could get to them. Martha was brimming with happiness the whole way, while Chatot looked like he had a headache coming on.

The head of intelligence looked at the duo of explorers, feeling a wave of pity for Martha. The previous evening, Chatot had visited Nate to bend his ear about the decisions he'd made. But Nate had simply agreed with every one of Chatot's accusations without an ounce of remorse, much to his frustration.

But when asked how Nate could be so nonchalant about his actions, he had revealed his ultimate fate. Chatot had found it unnerving how one could talk so casually about their death—or nullified existence, if they wanted to get technical. Regardless, it made him even more determined to keep them separate, for Martha's sake.

When they reached an antechamber at the bottom of Brine Cave, there was a shout up ahead.

"YOOM…TAH!"

There was the sound of splitting stone and falling rocks. After that, there were hints of a fight in the next room, but then they settled. Wigglytuff came back through the room with his usual cheery demeanor.

"All clear!" he announced.

Chatot spoke up, "Guildmaster, I urge you to reconsider your decision allowing Martha to go to the future."

Wigglytuff tilted his head, "Hmm? Why?"

"Because-" Chatot had turned to Nate and Martha, and the Pikachu had a look on his face that seemed to be conveying "Don't. I'll handle it."

Chatot was reluctant to leave it in his hands, but at the same time, it would be a moot point trying to protect Martha if he was forced to reveal the secret in front of her.

"Because…" Chatot started again, "it would be a shame to lose another proficient apprentice."

Wigglytuff smiled, "Oh, is that it? Don't worry! They'll be able to join the guild in the future!"

Chatot nodded reluctantly, "…Yes. I suppose they will."

"Anyway," Wigglytuff said, "We should get these bandits to the police, Chatot. Nate, Martha and Celebi can go on to the Hidden Land!"

The group of five advanced into the larger chamber ahead and found rocks littering the floor with a crater in the ceiling. A Kabutops and two Omastar were unconscious, with the latter buried under rubble and the leader with his exoskeleton cracked.

Martha tilted her head, "Are you sure that you two can move them yourself? We can help, if you want."

"The other guild apprentices should be here soon," Chatot dismissed. "They can help us. You three go on ahead. The pattern is in the chamber just beyond this one."

Martha nodded, "All right. Let's go, Nate, Celebi."

The trio of Pokémon advanced, and Chatot could only mentally prepare himself to explain to Wigglytuff why Martha would likely wind up back at the guild.

* * *

Martha took the lead in the trio's advance towards the very end of Brine Cave. After moving through a narrow corridor, there were signs of sunlight up ahead.

Once they arrived, Martha noticed that seawater flowed in to form a small inlet within the cave. The evening sunlight streaming in showed that the sun had almost completely set. But on their right, she saw a pattern engraved within the stone wall. Martha gasped and moved closer before taking out her Relic Fragment.

Celebi moved up beside her while Martha examined the fragment and compared it to the pattern on the wall. The Relic Fragment's design mirrored the center of the larger pattern!

Soon after she had put it on the ground, the pattern on the item started shimmering. As it brightened and dimmed, the pattern on the wall started shimmering to the same rhythm.

"The pattern on the wall…" Martha said wondrously as Nate sidled up behind her. "It's reacting to the Relic Fragment!"

When the light became blindingly bright, Martha watched as an orb of light gathered at the center of the wall pattern. As it fired a beam outward, Martha was about to turn around to follow it with her eyes.

But something hit the back of her head and the blinding light rapidly gave way to darkness.

* * *

The energy around Nate's hand dissipated as he cooled down from his Focus Punch. Martha had been turning around, so Nate had quickly done what he had to before he was exposed.

'It's done,' he thought with finality. 'I'm not proud of how we parted ways, Martha, but I can't let you see me disappear. Really, you shouldn't have trusted me with your back after all I've done.'

Martha's badge glimmered and she was warped away along with her Treasure Bag. Nate didn't follow because he wasn't wearing his badge, nor did he have the Treasure Bag with his badge on it.

As Nate watched her vanish, Celebi turned to the sea. The sound of something swimming through the water caught her attention. When Nate turned around as well, picking up the Relic Fragment, Lapras swam into the inlet.

"Nate…" he greeted. "Celebi…" He looked around, "I was informed there would be an Eevee, Martha."

Nate shook his head, "Martha isn't coming. We have the Relic Fragment, and the Time Gears, so we can complete the mission."

Lapras frowned slightly, "That's not what is meant to happen. The bearer of the proof is destined to travel to the Hidden Land."

Nate frowned back, "As a Temporal Guardian, you _know_ what will happen to us at the end. I only wish to spare her that sight. Destiny cannot tell me what to do."

Lapras remained silent for a while, but eventually replied, "…Very well. Climb onto my back. I will carry you across the sea to the Hidden Land."

Nate and Celebi did so, and Lapras turned around before swimming out of the cove. Nate took a deep breath as he put the Relic Fragment into his own bag.

His journey ends after this.

* * *

**Notes:**

**1\. Gasbag: A person who talks too much, typically about unimportant things.**

**I will complete this story if it's the last thing I do.**

**See you when I see you.**

**-AJ203**


	20. Ghosts From the Future

**Fair warning, this and the next chapter are going to be longer than average. My Point A and Point B for each of them has a lot of action and dialogue between each of them. I'm sure there (hopefully) won't be any complaints.**

* * *

Chapter 20: Ghosts From the Future

The guild crew made their way back to Treasure Town after the sun had already set. Wigglytuff and Chatot had to stay back at the police station a bit to give their testimonies on what happened before. Once the apprentices went down the first ladder, they were shocked still by the sight of Martha unconscious with her Treasure Bag on the first sublevel.

Chimecho immediately darted forward and examined her, "…Just a concussion. No other injuries. A Heal Bell should fix her right up."

The guild's medic swayed back and forth in the air, releasing soft blue waves to the sound of a gentle bell chime. Martha was enveloped by the blue glow and she started stirring before opening her eyes.

Martha seemed confused for a moment after Chimecho stopped, then her eyes widened and she stood up in a hurry. She looked around, noting her location and the Pokémon surrounding her.

"No…" Martha said quietly to herself. "He left me… Rather than take me to the future, he just _left_ me…"

Before the other apprentices could ask what had happened, Martha began running off to the exit. But Corphish called, "Hey, hey! Where are you going? It's too late to go anywhere now!"

* * *

On the way back to the guild from the police station, Chatot chose to tell Wigglytuff while he had the chance.

After he told Wigglytuff what Nate had revealed to him, Wigglytuff had stopped walking, his smile fallen slightly. Chatot had braced himself to explain further, but the Guildmaster started weeping, his small smile still in place. The right hand Pokémon winced at the sight; this was going to be more difficult than he thought.

"…What?"

Chatot let out a sigh, "Once the future is changed, all Pokémon from the current future will cease to exist… This includes Grovyle, Nate, his new ally, Celebi, and the gr… Dusknoir." With the new knowledge and some hindsight, Dusknoir's alleged motives suddenly made perfect sense. He didn't want to disappear, even if it meant dooming the world.

Then Chatot realized that Nate was the exact opposite, despite the unpleasant attitude he'd been displaying. Not realizing that he was speaking out loud, he murmured, "He would save the world, even at the cost of his own life."

Wigglytuff's eyes widened, and he said, "…Oh. That's why he was being so mean to everyone."

"Excuse me?" Chatot looked up at Wigglytuff's observation.

Wigglytuff dried his eyes, still looking sad, but not weeping anymore, "I thought Nate was bitter over us helping to capture Grovyle, and I thought we could bring him around… But… I guess he didn't want to be friends. Friends are sad when they leave each other. He didn't want us to be his friends…"

Chatot was shocked at this revelation, thinking back on all of Nate's actions. He hadn't denied or refuted any of Chatot's accusations or anger. He had openly mocked the guild and discouraged trust in himself. When nobody but Martha spoke to him, he made no effort to reach out. He _wanted_ Chatot to hold Martha back from going with him, so Nate told him that he would disappear, in addition to isolating himself.

Chatot shook his head, 'His last great deception and we all fell for it…'

The guild's second-in-command looked up when he heard Wigglytuff gasp. The Guildmaster was looking in the distance past Chatot, whispering, "Oh no, Martha…"

He turned around and saw a familiar figure running around the coast, seemingly headed back for Brine Cave. Chatot immediately took flight to intercept her. He was hard-pressed to keep up with her speed, but he cut off her path, making her skid to a stop.

"Chatot!" Martha cried. "Nate! He… He…"

Chatot shook his head, "Martha… You shouldn't be out this late. Go back to the guild. I don't know what Nate did, but he's gone now."

"He can't be gone!" Martha shouted, tears running down her face. "He wouldn't leave me!"

"Martha, I know you're in a delicate state right now," Chatot tried soothingly before becoming firm. "But you must face facts. He's gone; you're still here. Nate's been lying all along, why wouldn't he lie about taking you to the future?"

Martha glared, "You don't know Nate like I do!"

"For the last time, Martha," Chatot said, starting to lose patience, "Nate was never Ian!"

"He… His necklace!" Martha claimed after a moment of doubt. "Nate wouldn't have taken 'Ian's' necklace if he didn't care!"

"It was all a part of his ruse!" Chatot retorted. "He just took it so you would lower your guard and then he got rid of you. For all you know, he could've tossed it into the ocean the second you were gone."

Martha's eyes narrowed again as she shook her head, "You're lying! Nate cares about me!"

"Yes, he does."

Martha and Chatot turned to see Wigglytuff caught up with them. His face was chillingly neutral, neither smiling nor frowning.

"Martha, the first message Nate sent to you was to move on from him," Wigglytuff said. "His mission is to save the world, and he must feel that your mission is to stay here."

Martha's eyes widened, "No… No, no, you can't be taking Chatot's side. You _said_ that I could go with Nate to the future!"

"I know what I said," Wigglytuff replied while shaking his head. "But I didn't know everything. You can't."

She shook her head in disbelief, "You can't do this to-"

"Martha, listen to your Guildmaster!" Wigglytuff ordered with his eyes shut tight. "I'm sorry, but I hereby forbid you to go after Nate!"

Chatot turned his head away, unable to look at Martha's broken expression or Wigglytuff's regret.

"Wh…Why…?"

Wigglytuff shook his head with his eyes still shut, "I can't tell you that; only Nate can. Please, go back to the guild and go to bed; it's late."

Martha was still rooted to the ground, but she eventually turned around and began dragging herself back to Treasure Town.

Chatot looked at Wigglytuff, "Guildmaster… Would you like me to ensure Martha gets back safely?"

"Please… stay…" Wigglytuff asked with a sniffle.

* * *

Everything was silent, except for the sound of the ocean waves, as Lapras carried Nate and Celebi towards the Hidden Land. Celebi spent most of the trip through the night sleeping, not conditioned as Nate and Grovyle to go without it.

Nate rested, but kept his ears open for anything that might attack. He couldn't afford to let his guard down so close to the end.

The human-turned-Pokémon went in and out of a light rest, waking up at even the slightest change in the sounds of the ocean. As signs of dawn started approaching, Celebi insisted he get some actual rest before they arrived at the Hidden Land.

Nate reluctantly conceded that he would need all of his strength and went into a slightly deeper sleep. Celebi watched the sunrise as Lapras kept on swimming.

She let out a sigh, 'I always wanted to see the sunrise, but I wanted to see it with Grovyle.'

After two more hours, Nate stirred and sat up again, looking rested and waiting again for them to arrive.

Lapras spoke up, "We're nearly at the gateway to the Hidden Land." Once he felt Nate and Celebi move forward to look, he explained, "The sea ahead marks the border for the gap in time where it resides. Hold on."

As Lapras sped up, Nate gripped one of the protrusions of Lapras' shell as he thought, 'A gap in time… No wonder nobody could ever find it.'

Suddenly, Lapras sped up further and slowly but surely lifted out of the ocean water. Celebi gasped and asked, "Lapras, you can fly?"

Nate shook his head as he said in wonder, "This isn't flying. We're crossing the sea of time."

Lapras continued through and a white wall of light shone up ahead, obscuring their view before it receded from the center. Once it cleared out, a floating landmass was visible among some dark clouds with lightning arcing through them. The sky above it was a golden yellow color and Nate could see Temporal Tower atop a collection of floating rocks that levitated in the golden sky. He recognized if from his visions.

"The Hidden Land…" Nate uttered.

"Correct," Lapras replied. "We're nearing the edge of the sea of time. You'll have to go by yourselves from here."

Celebi gripped the bag of Time Gears hanging from her shoulder as she stared at the airborne tower, "I could probably fly up there by myself, but Dialga will be waiting."

"You must take the Rainbow Stoneship," Lapras explained.

Nate and Celebi turned around as he continued, "Far ahead, at the base of the mountain, you will find the Old Ruins. There, you will find an ancient, mystical vessel, the Rainbow Stoneship. It will take you to Temporal Tower."

The two of them nodded, and Nate said, "Thank you, Lapras."

Lapras turned to Nate and tilted his head for him to come closer, "A word, if you please?"

Nate raised an eyebrow and moved closer. Celebi watched with mild curiousity as Lapras leaned forward to whisper something. After they parted, Nate regarded Lapras strangely for a while before he nodded and said noncommittally, "I'll keep that in mind."

The Temporal Guardian nodded back and turned to leave the Hidden Land. Both Pokémon from the future knew there would be no point of him waiting. Neither of them would be coming back, one way or another.

Walking forward, Nate put his hand on the Kangaskhan Rock's chest. After it recognized him, a drawer at the base opened, revealing everything he and Celebi had stored. Nate refreshed their food (one Apple for each of them) and Oran Berries, splitting them into halves to ration their future use. He also took all three of the Reviver Seeds that he had saved. There was no coming back after this, so he didn't see any point in saving them for later.

Celebi waited nearby, and when Nate nodded to her, she fluttered into the air and followed him into the forest of the Hidden Land.

The duo focused on speed, ignoring most items not directly in their path as they tried to find the stairs as quickly as possible. The opposing Pokémon were varied, a good handful of them immune to electricity, so Nate found himself relying on Focus Punch and Dig often.

Celebi helped with her abilities as often as she could, but her abilities weakened with the chill from the Abomasnows' hail. In addition, she wasn't as used to fighting as Nate and Grovyle were, either. Nate did most of the fighting, while she helped take out Garchomp and Manectric.

When they reached the rest area preceding the Hidden Highland, Nate allowed Celebi some time to rest. As he sat down, he spent the brief respite musing over their current status as he closed his eyes to take a light breather himself.

'So far, so good—we're making swift progress, and the enemies are simple enough to deal with between the two of us.' Nate opened his eyes and looked down at his hand, marveling at how used to this body he had gotten. Not just that, he thrived in this body, growing stronger, while still keeping his old Substitute trick.

'Whatever freak accident caused my transformation, I have to say that the transformation wound up being a silver lining. It helped me evade capture at the hands of Dusknoir, and my electricity is so potent now that it can render a Tropius or a Dragonite unconscious.'

He heard Celebi's wings flutter and he looked up, closing his hand into a fist and standing, "Ready?"

Celebi let out a small breath and nodded, "Sorry."

Nate shook his head, "We've made good time, and either of us tiring out in the middle of a dungeon won't do any good. Let's just focus on our objective."

The latter portion of the Hidden Land wound up being much the same, except that it was slightly darker than earlier from the shadow of the mountain. The duo got caught in a Monster House on the way, but a quick Spurn Orb that Nate had been saving for the occasion dispersed the opponents and let Nate and Celebi proceed as they picked them off.

"Hey, Nate," Celebi called.

Nate didn't turn around, on the lookout for enemies, "Yes?"

"While we're just moving through the dungeon, I have to ask," Celebi started. "What did Lapras say to you? Some sort of advice?"

Nate let out a grunt, "Hmph, just some cryptic warning."

"Oh?"

"Yes, he said, 'History can be changed, but destiny has a habit of re-asserting itself,'" Nate explained. "I don't know what he could mean. We're working to change history, but whose destiny? It can't be about our destiny to disappear; we haven't been trying to fight that."

"Perhaps he means Martha," Celebi supplied as she used Ancient Power to knock down a Manectric until Nate finished them with Slam. "After all, the Relic Fragment was hers, not yours. You just let her use it to activate the signal before knocking her out."

"That's impossible," Nate denied as he used a Thunderbolt on a Magmortar. Then he cursed as another hailstorm started up right before they got to the next staircase. Once they advanced to the next floor, he said, "A round trip to retrieve Martha would take an entire day. We'll be done with our mission by then. On that note, I think we're almost at the end of this dungeon."

However, as they moved along, Nate found himself getting a sense of familiarity with the area. Once they reached the doorway leading into the Old Ruins, he realized why it was familiar. He imagined a thick stone door over the entrance, with all the surrounding vegetation gone and a gray pallor over the scene.

'This is where they put the stockade,' Nate thought with disgust. He had lost many Substitutes and nearly got caught himself several times when trying to steal books to study up on the past.

Celebi noticed his sour expression and fluttered up to his side, "Is everything okay, Nate?"

"Just some bad memories," he dismissed. "It's not a problem. Let's find the Rainbow Stoneship."

They walked through a long corridor which had murals of various legendary Pokémon. Nate looked at the small space and recalled running through this main corridor many times to escape the Sableye and Dusknoir with his stolen information. At that point, he realized that the murals must've been dug through to make the sprawling underground complex that made up the bulk of the stockade.

As they moved, Nate noted the different legendary Pokémon that he had read about. They were almost always in pairs. Mew, the mother of all non-legendary Pokémon and the first daughter of Arceus. Kyogre and Groudon, the sons of Arceus that filled the oceans and raised the land.

'Although some speculate that Groudon created the continents as one supercontinent, while Regigigas broke it apart and towed them to their current locations.'

Next in the line, the last mural gave Nate pause for but a brief moment. It was a depiction of two of Arceus' first-born sons. A depiction of Dialga was roaring fiercely, and Nate was determined to complete his mission and ensure that the _thing_ taking the place of the Temporal Pokémon never came to be.

When he and Celebi exited the corridor, they arrived at a staircase leading to the top of a pyramid-like structure. Nate jumped up the stairs two at a time while Celebi flew up, and they reached a plateau, revealing two more staircases that led down the opposite side and to their right. Along with a few stone plates with runes etched into them for decoration, there was also a tablet that had Unown shapes printed into it and an inscription on the ground, an enlarged version of the pattern on the Relic Fragment.

Nate looked down, recognizing the circular platform embedded into the structure. The only difference from his vision was that the center of the pattern was missing—carved out, by the look of it. Nate quickly made the connection between the Relic Fragment and the Rainbow Stoneship.

"I see…" He turned to Celebi, "I need to place the Relic Fragment into this platform to activate it. This circular tablet itself is the Rainbow Stoneship."

The two of them stepped onto the platform, and Nate took out the Relic Fragment from his own bag. But before he could place it, a chillingly familiar voice rang out.

"That's quite enough of that."

When high-pitched laughter filled the air, Nate quickly pocketed the fragment again and got ready for battle. He and Celebi stood back to back as the Sableye ran up the three staircases. They were boxed in, but Nate merely signaled Celebi to get down on the ground while he used Discharge.

The electricity flew everywhere and zapped the Sableye, stunning them and forcing them to retreat a distance away to nurse their injuries. Their forms flickered, signifying that they were in critical condition.

Nate heard a frustrated growl and a new voice said, "I _told_ you sending the grunts wouldn't do any good."

"Silence, Ran," Dusknoir ordered as he started floating over the stairs into Nate's view.

Ran laughed, "Like you're the one in charge."

Soon after Dusknoir cleared the stairs, another figure was slowly revealed as they climbed up. They were an Umbreon, female by the sound of their voice. She tilted her head back, "Sableye, get back through the portal. You're no good in this fight."

Dusknoir growled again as the Sableye listened to her instead of staying, like he wanted. Regardless, he turned his attention to Nate and Celebi.

"Ian, pleasure to see you again," Dusknoir greeted. He could tell that Ran's eyes had narrowed at the mention of the name. After savoring Ran's ire, Dusknoir continued, "Or should I say, Nate?"

Nate glared openly at Dusknoir, not caring about his cover anymore, "You had Primal Dialga send you right here and just waited, didn't you?"

"Yes, quite a simple solution," Dusknoir chuckled. "Even if I didn't know it was you, I would've merely exterminated anybody that reached this point up until the tower collapsed."

Nate's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, but his face didn't betray anything else, "You knew it was me all along?" His eyes narrowed again, "Then why let me get to this point?"

Dusknoir's own eye narrowed as Ran smugly answered, "Orders from above."

Nate gritted his teeth slightly at the unavoidable battle. He had seen the hurry they were in during his vision. If he placed it now and they weren't on the platform when it activated, the Rainbow Stoneship could leave without them.

He felt Celebi's presence brush against his mind, and he communicated, 'Celebi, I'll handle Dusknoir, I've seen how he fights through the memories of my more durable substitutes. I'll need you to keep Ran occupied until I can help.'

'Right,' Celebi replied before cutting out the communication.

Nate shot a Thunder Shock at Dusknoir that was dodged, and they fought on one side of the temple roof while Celebi prepared an Energy Ball and shot it at Ran.

The Umbreon merely sidestepped the attack and then a blue energy beam traveled from herself to Celebi. Once it hit, a blue beam arced from Celebi to Ran. Strangely, instead of a negative effect, Celebi felt herself being empowered.

Celebi's brow furrowed, "Guard Swap? Why would you do that?"

"I want to take my time with you," Ran answered with a smile. "Grovyle's death was fun to watch, but far too fast, if you ask me."

Celebi clenched her jaw, but just said in reply, "You'll meet your end soon."

"Aw, did I make you upset?" Ran asked in a sickly sweet tone with her eyes squinted shut from her smile widening. The only hint that Ran was about to attack was her grin taking a sadistic light.

Ran fired a Dark Pulse from her mouth, and Celebi gathered up some stones from the ground to form a shield with Ancient Power. The attack broke through, albeit weakened from the task, and Celebi managed to hold on with her increased defenses.

"Quick reflexes."

Celebi wheeled around with a gasp, and Ran was right behind her with the same smile, "Though I guess it's your first instinct to guard and run and hide, weakling."

Celebi got some distance again and fired a Magical Leaf attack. Ran barreled straight through the leaves and disappeared before reappearing behind Celebi, striking her in the back with Faint Attack.

Celebi coughed out a bit of blood as she felt the power behind the attack. She was knocked to the ground and bounced once before lying still. Ran watched with a smug smirk as a Reviver Seed floated and attached to Celebi.

'This is fun,' Dialga's agent thought to herself pleasantly.

* * *

Nate was worried when a Reviver Seed floated out of his bag, but he couldn't afford to take his eyes off Dusknoir, or either of their shadows, for a second.

The two had been evenly matched so far, Nate watching out for Shadow Sneak from Dusknoir's shadow and staying out of range from Dusknoir's Fire and Ice Punches. Dusknoir used Gravity to put more weight on Nate, but the human-turned-Pokémon retaliated by using bursts of Agility to compensate. Nate hadn't managed to land any electric attacks so far, but he was keeping watch for any openings.

"I can see," Dusknoir said as shadows gathered around him. "Your fighting style revolves around keeping your distance and not getting hit. Some things never change. You would never put yourself in the line of fire unless you were sure you would win or could get away. It was always a substitute whenever we had you cornered."

Dusknoir smiled, "But I know you can't flee from this battle, so I will finally be rid of you once and for all!"

Nate noticed his shadow darkening and left a Substitute behind as he dodged. He was leaving it just to take a hit, so he only put in 10 percent. Nate tried using the surprise to his advantage to launch a Thunderbolt, but Dusknoir threw up a Protect barrier.

At the same time that a dark fist rose out of the clone's shadow to punch him, Nate's electricity blasted harmlessly against the green force field.

Nate made a "tch" sound as Dusknoir's pupil shifted to glance at Nate out of the corner of his eye.

"Well played," Dusknoir lauded, "but not good enough."

Nate charged, saying, "I could say the same for you if you expect that barrier to hold."

Jumping and spinning through the air, Nate's tail took on a white glow and he slammed it against the Protect barrier, shattering it. Dusknoir was surprised for a moment, but he dissolved into shadows and moved along the ground before Nate could get an electric attack in.

Dusknoir emerged from the pool of inky darkness in a different location, and he spoke as he rose with a glare.

"Clever. You always did keep things interesting, Nate," Dusknoir begrudgingly admitted.

Nate smirked, "Are you sure you can go through with it? You'll probably be horribly bored if you win."

"At least I'll keep my _life_," Dusknoir retorted as his tail emerged and he got into a combat stance again. "Though I will admit, it's a shame we weren't born on the same side. Your mind would've made you a valuable member of Master Dialga's ranks."

Nate frowned, "Likewise. You don't seem bad—just unwilling. You tried to save Martha from the Manectric and Electrike, after all. You didn't want an innocent getting hurt."

Dusknoir spread his hands and a ring of five blue fireballs appeared in front of him, "However, I must win. I will not disappear."

"Again, likewise. Celebi and I are the last hope for the future."

Dusknoir sent the Will-O-Wisp attack forward, and Nate was about to grip a Heal Seed, but he noticed that they didn't attempt to hit him, just hovering around him. Then Nate had a haunting realization when the five new shadows around him darkened.

Another Nate appeared as the first one dropped to all fours, and the second one sprung off of his back in an attempt to jump out of the perimeter, but the flames followed him to maintain the shadows and the fists split up, two attacking the airborne while three attacked the one on the ground. Right before the attack hit, Dusknoir barely registered the ground underneath him cracking.

The two clones each took the Shadow Punches and Nate burst from the ground with a Thunder primed. Dusknoir only had time to mentally curse as Nate unleashed the attack, shocking the Ghost Pokémon with fierce electricity.

The two Nates disappeared with a puff of smoke and Dusknoir cried out as Nate's shock coursed through him. Even as he convulsed, Dusknoir turned and reached down to grab at Nate. When he felt the power of the shock drastically reduce, he realized that he was no longer looking at Nate and tried to turn. But another Thunderbolt already came from behind in addition to the 25 percent Thunder from the clone.

After Nate felt that it was enough, Dusknoir panted in the air for a bit before gathering shadows into his hand. Nate got ready to move, but the shadows fizzled out as he let out a low groan of pain.

Dusknoir fell, and Nate turned to help in Celebi's fight. She wasn't doing so well against Ran. But as he was focused on getting to them, in addition to the sun's position in front of him, he didn't notice his shadow darken behind him.

Nate was getting ready to fire an electric attack when he felt a fist connect with his back. With a cracking sound from his spine, Nate fell to the ground. Dusknoir surged up and concentrated the shadows around his fist for added power as he attacked Nate in the same spot with Shadow Punch again. A louder cracking sound broke out and Nate shouted in pain before he lost feeling in his legs.

Dusknoir panted as he looked at Nate's helpless form, "At last. Not a substitute—the actual Nate's life in my hands." He growled when he noticed a Reviver Seed attach to Nate's side, but managed to catch one that floated to Celebi as Ran defeated her for the second time.

Crumbling the Reviver Seed in his hand, Dusknoir said, "Ran! Bring Celebi over to Nate! I will carry out their execution here and now."

Ran rolled her eyes at Dusknoir's commanding tone, but lifted Celebi's unconscious form in her mouth before dropping her next to Nate and standing behind Dusknoir.

"Hmph, you've always put up a good fight, Nate," Dusknoir praised. "But your concern for others was always your one weakness."

Nate tried to will himself to move, but he still lacked feeling in his legs. And if he used an electric attack, Dusknoir would only set up Protect and the electricity generated would vaporize the Reviver Seed.

"It's all over now," Dusknoir stated.

The mouth on Dusknoir's stomach opened, and more shadows than Nate had ever seen him gather collected into the cavity in a dark vortex. The shadows formed into a sphere as large as his own body.

"This is the end, for you!" he declared. Dusknoir fired the massive Shadow Ball and Nate could only watch as his doom approached him.

Until it wasn't.

Nate felt something shift in the air directly around him and before he even realized it, the Shadow Ball was moving away from him now. Nate took in his surroundings in an instant and realized that he and Dusknoir had switched places. Dusknoir's mouth was still open, as he hadn't realized that he'd been switched yet. Once Nate realized his new position, he also noticed that Celebi wasn't with him.

Nate held out his hand as the Shadow Ball neared Dusknoir and Celebi, the former who started to discern the situation with the latter still unconscious.

"Celebi!" Nate tried to move, but pain shot down his spine and legs as he regained feeling in them and they were beginning to be healed up. Dusknoir screamed as the Shadow Ball went down the mouth on his stomach and expanded outward, catching Celebi in the explosion of dark energy as well.

"Whoops," Ran said innocently, "my paw slipped."

The smoke cleared and Dusknoir was holding his stomach as smoke billowed out of it and his form flickered. He tried to stay floating, but he fell to the ground. Next to him, Celebi had bad burns from the explosion and her body was withering, becoming duller and representing a wilting flower.

Nate struggled to pull himself over, but he realized it wouldn't do any good.

'No more Reviver Seeds… She's dying, and there's nothing I can do about it…'

'Nate…'

Nate's head perked up at the familiar voice in his mind, 'Celebi? You're still alive?! Quick, you need to use Recover!'

'My body is dying…' Celebi replied. 'Only my spirit is holding out right now… and not for long…'

Nate could feel her presence dimming, 'No! You have to try! Gather up whatever power you can!'

'Nate…' Celebi said, 'I'll just slow you down… You're powerful—stronger than me… You… have to get to Temporal Tower… I just want to… spend time with Grovyle… while I can… I'm so tired…'

'Celebi!' But Nate felt her presence fade.

"Well, that settles that," Ran said casually. She strolled from her position to stand in front of Nate. She raised an eyebrow at his narrowed eyes, "Glare all you want, it's not going to change anything that's happened—especially when it's your fault."

Nate spoke through the pain, "_My_ fault? _You_ murdered Celebi."

"_You're_ the reason I exist," Ran replied with her eyebrow still raised.

Nate discreetly tested the feeling in his legs as he bought more time, "What do you mean?"

"Nate… I thought you were smarter than that," Ran said patronizingly. "You haven't figured out what I am? I'm living, breathing proof that you fall to Dialga. As long as I exist, it means you fail your mission."

Nate scowled, "You can't know that."

Ran smiled, "You'll never wear your necklace, because the world will never be safe."

The words echoed in Nate's mind and a stone cold ball of dread settled in his stomach. 'It couldn't be…' Among the echo, Lapras' words repeated.

_"__History can be changed, but destiny has a habit of re-asserting itself."_

For once in Nate's life, he desperately hoped he was wrong. His face not betraying his anxiety, he raised an eyebrow.

"…Martha?"

The Umbreon's smile widened, "Ding! Correct!"

"NO!"

Martha seemed to register the shout and turned her attention to Dusknoir, who was clawing at the ground, trying to move to attack her, even as his hands sometimes went through the stone from his poor condition.

She frowned, "Ah, yes. You're still here."

"You…!" Dusknoir growled. "You betray Master Dialga! I'll…!"

"Do nothing," Martha finished. "Dusknoir, you're hardly in a position to move, much less fight me. And to think I held you in such high esteem at one point…"

She turned and slowly made her way to Dusknoir, "It's a shame, isn't it? If you had known who I was, you could've erased my existence alone by disobeying my orders and had both your targets."

"This… will not stand!" Dusknoir started crawling towards the stairs leading to the dimensional hole, "I will have Master Dialga send me to the Martha of this time. I will-"

His path was cut off, and he made the mistake of looking up into Martha's glowing red eyes.

"You're not going anywhere."

Dusknoir shook, cursing himself for falling prey to Martha's Mean Look. He found that he could speak and said, "You… will not…!"

Martha opened her mouth and shadows started gathering, condensing into a sphere.

"You cannot…!"

The sphere swelled up to be larger than Dusknoir's had.

"M-mercy…!"

"Very well. I'll be sure to tell Dialga that you died bravely instead of cowering."

Martha shot the Shadow Ball and Dusknoir screamed as it tore into what remained of his form, ripping apart his chest before it expanded outward. In a burst of dark energy, the only thing left of Dusknoir was his tail before that disintegrated into shadowy mist and disappeared.

Dusknoir was no more.

In the shockwave of the explosion, Nate also noticed that Celebi's body had been pushed further along to the staircase before it slid down and started falling down the stairs.

Martha turned to Nate with a pleasant smile as if she hadn't just murdered someone in cold blood.

"So, aren't you going to thank me for saving you?"

Nate managed to put one foot under him and then the other as he stood up. The Reviver Seed fell off, finally done healing him. Martha took one look at the determined look on his face and shook her head, "Guess not. How rude."

Nate shot a Thunder Wave at Martha, but she disappeared and reappeared behind him to use Faint Attack. With the power behind it, and Martha's larger body, she sent Nate flying over the staircase that Celebi had fallen down.

Nate managed to catch himself to avoid face-planting. He internally noted that the dimensional hole was gone. It must have been sustained by Dusknoir's energy.

Pushing himself to his feet, Nate took out half an Oran Berry and hastily ate it to heal off the damage. Turning around in time to see Martha clear the steps in two easy bounds, Nate held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"Now, Martha…"

Martha still had that same grin on her face, "Oh, it is _way_ too late for any sentence starting with 'Now, Martha.'"

"My only intention was to protect you from the truth," Nate calmly insisted.

Martha's eyes narrowed as her grin seemed forced now, "'Protect me'? Ha… You only ever treated me like a child that needed to be sent out of the room. I bet you always loved it when you said something cryptic, playing off my naiveté."

"Martha…"

"Even now, you were just trying to distract me," Martha stated as she looked up the stairs to the Rainbow Stoneship.

Electricity surged from the peak of the Old Ruins, Nate calmly glanced at it and casually remarked, "So, she figured it out, and even copied it."

"She's had centuries to prepare, clone," Martha's double retorted. "It would be sad if she could be fooled by the same ploys."

"Then I see no need to continue this conversation."

With that said, the two substitutes disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Nate tried to use Agility and place the Relic Fragment in the Rainbow Stoneship, but Martha intercepted him, knocking him away with Take Down. The human-turned-Pokémon focused on keeping his grip on the fragment, and then pulled himself up after skidding on the ground. Martha positioned herself on the center, standing guard over where Nate needed to go. She had a few burns from electricity, but she wasn't even breathing hard.

Martha chuckled as Nate's brow furrowed, "I've had nothing to do for centuries except train and survive, Nate. I can easily out-speed you, even with Agility on your side. And, anyway…"

The circle on her forehead glowed and an image of the moon appeared overhead, sending sparkling energy down to heal Martha of the minor damage she took.

"If this becomes a battle of attrition, I get the feeling I'm going to win. All I have to do is stall you until the planet's paralysis takes hold," Martha finished.

Nate growled and took half an Oran Berry out of his bag, crunching it down and healing up the bruise that formed from the Take Down. Dropping to all fours, Nate's tail pointed upright and glowed bright blue. Storm clouds started gathering overhead before thunderclaps boomed in them. Rain began falling, and Martha looked up, closing her eyes as the drops fell over her. It had been a long time since she'd seen or felt rain.

"So, you're bringing out your ultimate attack, hm?" she observed with her eyes shut. Her eyes opened, "Go ahead. See what good it does you."

Nate glared, "I don't want to hurt you. I _never_ wanted to hurt anybody. It's simply what has to be done."

Martha's eye twitched, "Of _course_. Everything was _always_ about the mission with you, wasn't it?"

"This isn't about me; this is about the world," Nate insisted. "Don't you realize that you're dooming everybody to live in the future of darkness?"

Martha tilted her head, "You know, it's funny, around five hundred years ago, I was set on convincing you stealing the Time Gears was wrong. Also, to answer your question, I don't care. I waited so long to come back to this precise moment and keep you from throwing your life away to Dialga. Don't you see? I went through all of this for you."

"Martha, it can never happen," Nate said while shaking his head. "That's why I always pretended I didn't notice how close you were getting to me. I thought that driving you away would've done it, but it seems I was wrong."

"I could never stop caring about you," Martha said with a shaky smile. "Now, come with me back to the future. I can make another dimensional hole. I don't want to be alone anymore."

"If you really care about me, then let me complete my mission. Or better yet, you could help me if you're so sure that I'll die by myself," Nate offered. Martha's expression immediately morphed to fierce rage.

She seethed, "_I know what you're_ _trying to do_… You're trying to talk me down from this!" Her tone became more erratic, "All this time, you've always thought you could manipulate me with words, _words, WORDS_!"

Even through the Light Screen Nate hastily conjured up, the following Dark Pulse cracked it and sent Nate onto the ground, panting as he tried to stay conscious.

"Martha. This mission is literally all I have left," Nate said resolutely as he forced himself to stand. "My best friend is dead, Celebi gave up; there's no second chance. If I fail this mission, then I will never be able to live with myself, knowing that the world stays the same, despite my best efforts. Even less so if I actually ran away."

His brow furrowed, "And if I can't live with myself for my failure, how can you seriously expect me to live with _you_? Honestly, if I had to choose between you as you are and death, I'd willingly step in front of Primal Dialga himself. At least _then_ I could be reunited with my friends."

"Of course," Martha growled. "You just have to be the hero all the time! You thought that I'd be _proud_ that you left to save the world?! You were just too afraid to look me in the eye and tell me _the truth_!"

"The truth would've broken you in two!" Nate yelled back. Martha took a step back in surprise. Nate had raised his voice a few times before, but he had never fully shouted, not even to Team Skull.

"And you think I _wanted_ this?!" he continued. "Having the fate of the world resting on my shoulders, being relentlessly pursued by a deity and his followers, I spent my whole _damn_ life alone, except for Grovyle! I had to _watch_ as he was dragged off to be executed. I had to _live_ with the constant knowledge that the only thing awaiting me at the end of this journey, good or bad, was _death_! You want the truth? Here's the truth: You're just a selfish _brat_!" Martha's eyes widened for a second, but she quickly narrowed them again.

"'Oh, woe is me! I'm too cowardly to follow my dreams!'" Nate mocked. "Our entire time together, it's all been about where _you_ wanted to go! Sure, you leaned on me for emotional support, but all this time, it's been following _your _dreams. _You_ were the one that tried to persuade _me_, regardless of whether or not I had plans."

"_You_ were the liar!" Martha countered. "You said that you had amnesia!"

"Martha," Nate said with a disappointed look, "if you were _really_ that concerned about fully 'restoring' my memory, you could've gotten me examined by Chimecho. Leaving the medic part aside, a Psychic Pokémon with Heal Bell would be the logical first stop. She would've read my mind to check the damages, and found out I was lying." He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow, "So why didn't you? Were you _afraid_? Did you think that if my memory was restored I would _remember _someone precious to me and go to them?"

Martha faltered, "I… I…!"

"But that's not the biggest disappointment to me, Martha," Nate said, his scowl deepening. "I just have one question: What happened to the rest of the team? You said you didn't want to be alone anymore, and I know well that aging isn't a factor when the planet is paralyzed, so where are _they_ in all of this?"

Martha's eyes widened. Then she seemed to shrink and put her head down, covering her ears with her paws, "Shut up…!"

"No! So what happened? Did you disband the team, or did you just run away in your efforts to find me?" Nate mockingly asked.

The Umbreon before him started shaking, "M-Maribel… And Terry- Terrence… led them. Even Wattson stayed, to honor your memory… They… wanted to wait for you and help you and Grovyle… form a resistance…"

Nate was surprised at that piece of information, but his memories hadn't changed of anything involving a resistance to help him and-

His thoughts stopped as a chilling prospect occurred to him. His eyes widened as he looked at Martha. Slowly, the surprise cycled through disbelief, then horror, before stopping on barely repressed rage.

"You. _Didn't_."

Martha's silence was the only answer he needed.

"You…! _You_…!" Nate thundered, electricity sparking across his entire body. Then he took a deep breath and brought himself under control, eerily calm now.

"I guess I didn't know you as well as I thought," Nate stated as if talking about tomorrow's missions they were going to do. "Also, I retract my previous statement. _Now_ I want to hurt you."

Nate disappeared, leaving a few sparks of electricity in his wake and he conjured up several Double Team clones around Martha. Martha was surprised and looked around, trying to tell which one was the real Nate, but there were no hints. All of them were glaring at her, and all of them were preparing Focus Punch.

Martha's eyes glowed as she scanned the clones with Mean Look, trying to paralyze the real one, but the Nates simply closed their eyes, rendering the attack useless.

Nate's voice echoed all around, "I trained to fight against Uxie, one who erases memories from eye contact. Why do you think I was such an expert at detecting through other senses?"

The clones started rushing towards Martha, but she jumped into the air, avoiding the attack. The clones dissipated, but Nate just turned to face Martha and called down a Thunder from the rain at her. Martha hurriedly used Substitute and let a clone take the hit, reappearing on the ground, panting. Where was this power coming from?!

Despite having the opportunity to attempt placing the Relic Fragment, Nate instead rushed her again, readying an Iron Tail at the same time. Martha dodged back as Nate swung his tail down at her head, the impact woud up cracking the stone floor of the Old Ruins.

Martha was surprised by the strength, but that distraction cost her as she was slammed in the side by Nate's Iron Tail. She hissed in pain and started using Moonlight to heal some of the damage Nate had done so far. But while she was concentrating, Nate leapt on top of her and used a point-blank Thunder from his own body.

Martha tried to shake him off as he kept pouring out electricity. After a bit, she slammed him into the Unown tablet with Faint Attack, causing his grip to break. Martha immediately distanced herself, trying to catch her breath, electricity still buzzing along her skin.

"What's going on here…?! You shouldn't be _nearly_ this strong!" Martha shouted.

Nate smirked coldly as he pulled himself up, "I thought you knew me, Martha. Missions, I do them with cold, calculated efficiency. Before, you were someone I wanted to misdirect, not hurt. Trying to mislead someone familiar with my tricks is much harder than just zapping them, and doing that is still harder when you're holding back from killing. It's actually much easier for me that you took out Dusknoir. He was smart; you're insane."

Martha growled and Nate rushed forward with Quick Attack while Martha called up a Protect to give herself time to concentrate on using Moonlight.

"I'm not going to give you an _inch_!" Nate shouted as his tail took up a white glow, instead of the Iron Tail's steel coating. He swung his tail around, jumping towards Martha, "Feint!"

Martha's barrier was shattered and she tried to use Substitute, Nate saw it and yelled, "No escape. Discharge!"

The entire area was inundated with electricity, rendering Martha's distraction maneuver useless. The clone dissipated and Martha fell over, her limbs numb now.

Nate stormed over to her, "Get up! If you've had centuries of training, I _know_ you have more than that."

He grabbed Martha by the chin and lifted her head. Her eyes snapped open and glowed bright red with Mean Look. With Nate paralyzed, Martha's forehead pattern started glowing, but she was suddenly zapped anyway with bolts from above, signifying a Thunder. With a gasp, she turned around, seeing another Nate. He had a look of contempt on his face.

"You really _are_ an idiot if you think I would let my guard down."

Martha fell to the ground, unable to move anymore and lacking enough energy to even use Mean Look again. She glared at Nate as his substitute dispelled, "So you show how you really think of me at last."

"I'm _done_ trying to convince you," Nate said as he looked down at Martha. "Everything I ever did was to ensure that you would be well-off after the success of my mission. I helped you achieve your dreams more than you would've _ever_ been able to do on your own. I gave you a team, _friends_ and _comrades_ that would be able to protect themselves along with you. You rewarded them with a knife in their back because they wanted to do what's _right_, and that didn't fit in with your little _puppy love_."

Martha glared hatefully, "If you're quite _done_, just finish me already."

"Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you?"

At Martha's surprised look, the storm started clearing up as Nate's tail glowed again. He turned around, heading for the Rainbow Stoneship, "No, I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to go fix Temporal Tower, and _you_ are going to watch. Watch as I march to my death, Martha, not for gain, or recognition, but because nobody else can."

"Get back here and finish what you started!" Martha shouted at Nate's retreating form.

"Enjoy what remains of your pitiable existence," Nate simply said in reply. "Hopefully, the new timeline's Martha will get it right and realize she's not alone."

Nate took the Relic Fragment from his bag and placed it into the platform. The Rainbow Stoneship flashed before the pattern was completed. Now glowing a myriad of colors, the platform started shimmering and emitting a pulsing blue light.

Martha shouted in fury, forgoing any subtly and charging Nate as the platform's edges started shining with a ring of blue rays. Unfortunately, she was running on willpower more than anything else, so she wasn't able to reach nearly her full speed. Without a word or looking back, Nate held up his necklace and badge for Martha to see. She gasped and screeched to a stop, shocked that Nate had kept the accessory and remembering what it meant to the ones she killed. What it used to mean to her.

While she was distracted, Nate turned around and threw a Stun Seed into her chest, freezing her where she stood not even half a foot from the platform.

She growled and tried to move herself, but the seed wouldn't allow it. Martha glared at Nate for his trick, but he simply turned to look at Temporal Tower as the platform started levitating. Even as he felt Martha's stare at his back, he didn't look back or say anything. There was nothing more to say. Nothing more he _could_ say. The Martha that this one might've been was long gone—her mind lost over centuries of darkness, self-inflicted isolation and forlorn hope of finding her best friend and crush.

And it was all because of him.

As the Rainbow Stoneship took off, Nate might've shed a tear if he hadn't been wrung dry from his experiences so far.

'Well,' he thought derisively to himself, 'you did it. You prevented the vision of Martha riding the Rainbow Stoneship with you from coming to pass. _Great_ _job_!'

Nate shook his head. He couldn't take back what he'd done in this time already. The only thing left that he could do was make sure that the future Martha grew up in would be peaceful. That she would never go through the hell that he had.

It was his final adventure, and his last chance.

Staring at the rainbow that trailed behind the ship, Nate absently thought, 'Seven colors… How appropriate.'

* * *

**Notes:**

**In Japanese, seven is usually spoken as "nana", because its alternate pronunciation is "shichi" with "shi" meaning "death." Guess which pronunciation Nate's thinking of.**

**The final chapter draws near.**

**-AJ203**


	21. Last Goodbye

**It's here.**

* * *

Chapter 21: Last Goodbye

As the Rainbow Stoneship continued its arcing course to the floating island of rocks, Nate looked at his sapphire necklace, barely realizing that he was still holding it in his clenched hand. The gold gem set in the Explorer's Badge atop the crystal seemed to glimmer in the light of day.

'Martha… Psymon, Maribel, Regina, Augustus, Tisha, Yrja, Wattson, Ferra, Tempest, Terrence…' Nate thought. He held the necklace to his chest, 'I _will_ save you all. The best I can offer you is to ensure your deaths never happen.'

Technically one of them still drew breath, but had died in every other sense of the word long ago…

The rainbow behind the ancient vessel dissipated as it slowed to a stop at the very end of a stone pathway. Once it stopped moving with a rumbling sound, Nate pocketed the necklace in his bag again, and jumped the slight gap between the Rainbow Stoneship and the start of the path. Taking a deep breath, he started dashing up the circuitous way on all fours with Agility. There was no time to waste!

As he ran, he saw that there was a vortex of red clouds spinning above the top of Temporal Tower, almost like a hurricane. The ominous sight only made him redouble his efforts.

Within a few moments, he arrived at the entrance of the structure. Looking at the otherworldly make-up of the doorway, and the red patterns glowing from the entire tower in warning, Nate felt a sense of urgency. His entire life had led up to this moment—for him to save the world.

But first he had to prepare. Opening the base of a Kangaskhan Rock nearby, he immediately ate an Oran Berry from inside and then broke three more into halves in order to use them later. He paused and broke another two to store for later. With no more Reviver Seeds, he couldn't risk running out of healing items.

As he packed the bag, he felt his hand brush against a smaller bag within his own. He frowned as he remembered Celebi's death. During his attempt to distract… his opponent, he had used the dash from Substitute to quickly lift the bag from Celebi's corpse and store it in his own. He squashed the depression quickly, though; Nate couldn't afford to falter now.

Guzzling down a Max Elixir from storage as well, Nate emptied the bottle as quickly as he could and felt his electricity surge up again. Once that was done, he closed the drawer into the base right as he felt a tremor come from the tower. It settled after a brief time, but Nate couldn't say the same for himself.

'I have to hurry!' he thought as he turned to run into Temporal Tower. But right as he started moving, he stopped and looked at the head of the Kangaskhan Rock. 'The Adventure Log…'

Nate fingered the badge and necklace within his bag, flashes of the one he refused to acknowledge as her former identity anymore coming to mind. He might be wasting time, but he could at least change one thing about the future before beginning his climb.

* * *

All of Team Rapid, sans Martha, was sitting around their usual spot at Spinda Café. They simply refused to believe that Nate would completely abandon them. Well, Augustus and Wattson weren't going to hold their breath, but the rest were faithful. Martha was still sulking in her room at the guild, but she had cooperated long enough to give them the Adventure Log.

The book was laid open on the table, open to the most recent page, where new entries would be made.

Terrence scratched his head, nearly bumping Wattson with his wing, "He sure is taking his time."

"Nate's always been straight to the point," Psymon said.

Maribel frowned, "There's a good chance that he might see updating the Adventure Log as a waste, if what Augustus told us is true."

"Then why're we sitting here?" Augustus asked. He had told them that Nate wasn't coming back, but not all of the details of what he had figured out.

Ferra shook her head, "We can't mobilize without Martha or Nate's orders, and Martha isn't going anywhere."

"B'sides," Tisha added, absently twirling her club in her hand, "y'all got anythin' better to do?"

"No," Wattson answered.

"Not really," Tempest added.

"Me neither," Tisha finished.

Regina sighed, "Forsooth, the suspense is chilling. Would that we could see whither he lies right now rather than hear after the fact."

"It's not that simple," Yrja said. "Nate must've had his reasons for going without Martha. I'm sure he had the best of intentions…"

"Well you know what they say about roads and good intentions," Augustus remarked negatively.

Tempest grunted, "If you're just gonna try to drag down our spirit, there's the door, you downer."

"I'm not a downer, I'm realistic," Augustus defended.

Maribel sighed at the discussion before going back to watching the book. Her eyes widened.

"Quiet, everybody!" Maribel called. Everybody turned to her and then followed her gaze. They crowded around, trying to see the words being hastily scrawled into the most recent page.

* * *

Martha had her head buried in the hay that composed her bed, the other one having been moved out of the room. She didn't want to do anything, and only the plate of food left near her bed, eaten at far too slow a rate, ensured that she didn't starve from her dismal state.

Wigglytuff and Chatot were very understanding about Martha's depression and allowed her the day off. Chatot also instructed the other apprentices, besides Chimecho, to give her some space and simply tend to their own duties. Chimecho was given a pass because she reasoned that, as the medic, she had to make sure that Martha stayed in a reasonably healthy state.

Unfortunately, nothing Chimecho said could get through Martha's impenetrable gloom. Chimecho always prided herself on her patience, but getting little to no reaction from Martha worried and discouraged her greatly.

Another hour would've passed without event in the dour Eevee's room, but outside forces had other plans as a frantically repeated word became clearer—and from a voice that she hadn't heard since he and the others bugged her for the copy of the Adventure Log that was by her bed.

"…tha, Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha!"

The leader of Team Rapid turned her head to have one eye looking at the doorway and Psymon ran in, waving his arms. The Water Pokémon waved his hand urgently for her to follow and yelled, "You have to see this!"

Martha buried her face again and murmured through the hay, "Don'wanna…" In response, Psymon's eyes glowed blue and Martha was lifted out of her bed with Confusion. She was nonplussed for all of five seconds as Psymon turned around, moving her to be toted in front of him.

Once the shock wore off, she started protesting, "Hey! Put me down!"

"No!" Psymon started running her out of the guild, the other apprentices and Chatot looking bemused at the sight.

Chimecho looked up from her desk at Martha's shouted objections and Psymon refusing each time while they passed through the guild's first sublevel.

'Well… Not what I would've tried, but I can't argue with results, I suppose,' Chimecho thought to herself.

* * *

Everybody kept watching the words being written, and they saw that the message was for Martha above anybody else as the words kept forming.

Psymon ran down the steps into the bar, Martha just hanging in the air, tired of struggling against her recruit's psychic hold.

"I got her!"

He set Martha down in a chair with the Adventure Log on the table right in front of it, Martha immediately turned to leave once she was free. But Terrence sat on the ground right behind her with his wings spread to either side of her.

"Oh, no you don't," the massive Pokémon said in a tone that gave no room for argument. He turned the Adventure Log back a page and pointed at a paragraph, "You're staying right here and reading that entry."

Martha sighed and turned her eyes to the book in front of her, thinking her recruits had turned to some arbitrary page with inspirational words—or maybe one of her more meaningful adventures. It didn't matter. All of the entries would only remind her of him.

Her eyes traveled listlessly to the entry that Terrence's finger pointed to. Once she started reading it, she was confused before her eyes widened and started from the beginning, paying attention now.

_"__Martha, I'm not sure when or even if you're reading this, but I know you'll always have access to this book. Should anybody else be reading this, find Martha, but feel free to read this as well._

_"__I'm sorry that you have to find out this way, but I didn't have the courage to tell you this face-to-face. I also don't have much time; Temporal Tower has started to collapse, so I'll get to the point. Martha, I knocked you out and kept you from going to the Hidden Land with me and Celebi for selfish reasons."_

Martha looked around at the recruits, confused, but Maribel just urged her to keep reading while she looked away.

_"__I did that, and hurt you so much, because I couldn't bear the thought of seeing your expression when we completed my mission. Martha, the truth that I've been hiding from you and almost everybody is that when history is changed, all the inhabitants from the future will disappear."_

Martha gasped, tears coming to her eyes after reading Nate's secret. 'He'll… what?!' She couldn't believe it. The Eevee read the sentence again, to make sure she hadn't misread it, but the words were clear as day. She broke out into fresh sobs, curling up in her chair.

Terrence gave her some space while Tisha, Psymon, Maribel and Yrja offered what comfort they could. After a few moments, Martha wiped her tears away and kept reading.

_"__When I told you I didn't belong in this world, I didn't just mean my dissonant character. I meant that Grovyle, Celebi, Dusknoir and I should never have been born. The planet's paralysis isn't meant to happen. That's why I have to stop the destruction of Temporal Tower, even at the cost of my own life. Even if we all disappear, a new future will replace it—one of peace. And the Pokémon that live here in the past will continue to be happy."_

When Martha reached the end of the page, Wattson reached over and turned the page for her. Partway through the page on the right, the glow of freshly written letters was completely faded on the last paragraph, signifying that Nate had passed on his message and began his climb. 'So it's too late to write something back to him…' Martha thought, disappointed. Regardless, she started at the left page.

_"__You may be wondering how anybody could have such resolve to do this. Dusknoir wasn't lying when he called the planet's paralysis the utter ruin of the world. Grovyle and I had nothing to lose and nothing to go back to. Neither one of us had to worry about missing the other, because everybody would disappear. That unfortunately changed for me when I met you."_

Martha raised an eyebrow at that, but decided she would get an answer quicker by reading on.

_"__I tried to keep myself distant from you, emotionally, while I gathered information to return to Grovyle. But despite my best efforts, you managed to get yourself into my heart, and I could already tell that you cared deeply for me. I wound up helping you with your dream, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. Against my better judgment, I let myself consider you and our team some of my closest companions._

_"__I knew that it wouldn't last. And when Celebi informed me that Grovyle was dead, the dream was over. I couldn't play as 'Ian' anymore. I tried extremely hard to get everybody to hate me so that they wouldn't miss me after my inevitable lack of return. The only ones I seemed unable to convince were you and Wigglytuff. You know what measures I took after that."_

Martha turned her eyes to the last paragraph on Nate's entry.

_"__I'm sorry if I ever made you feel hated or scorned. But know that I care very much for you, along with each and every Pokémon of the team, the guild and Treasure Town. I'm glad that I got to know you, Martha. I'm so lucky that you were my friend, and I'm proud to have called you my partner in leading our exploration team. I don't want to say goodbye, but this is the way it has to be."_

A bittersweet feeling filled Martha. She was happy that Nate had sent her this message, but the depression from the fact she'd never see him again nearly outweighed that happiness.

* * *

Even with both of his companions dead and going it alone through Temporal Tower, Nate still managed to find one silver lining in his situation. None of the Pokémon in Temporal Tower were resistant to his electricity. It was quite different from his experience sending clones in to scout in the future.

'A lot can change in 500 years' past, I suppose,' Nate mused as he took down a Bronzor with Thunderbolt before it could use Hypnosis. One of his clones had been captured by Dusknoir and brought to be hypnotized into his service with one of those, so he knew to be wary of the Steel/Psychic-types.

Nate let out a light chuckle to himself as he jumped over the unconscious Pokémon, 'I only wish I could've seen Dusknoir's face when he realized he had a clone, while I was getting away with their books.'

But when he remembered Dusknoir's demise, he couldn't help but feel bad for making jokes at his expense. Even as he absentmindedly dodged a Lunatone's Rock Slide and retaliated with Iron Tail, he thought, 'He wanted to avoid disappearing, and he wound up being murdered instead. And since it was _that one's_ doing, his death is on my hands as well.'

Nate didn't like Dusknoir, but he would never wish a fate like his on anybody.

Nate found the staircase and quickly ran up it, arriving at a rest point. While inside this point of Temporal Tower, he could hear a soft, but distinct, rhythmic ticking noise. It was comforting to hear that the structure still seemed to be functioning.

However, his comfort was cut short as a tremor swept through the tower—one worse than the last quake.

Once it subsided, Nate let out a determined sigh through his nose and decided to be quicker about his task from now on. No more fighting; just Thunder Waves for all the enemies except those he literally couldn't avoid fighting.

'That way I have time for this,' he thought, moving closer to the Kangaskhan Rock.

* * *

Team Rapid watched the Adventure Log closely, and Psymon had the quill primed with his teammates' messages ready to send.

When new letters started glowing on the page, Psymon shouted "Now!" and started writing on the page next to it.

* * *

The instant that Nate touched the quill to the paper, the opposite page started glowing with new letters being written. It caused him to stop writing as he saw words being formed in footprint runes.

_"__Nate! You can do this! We all believe in you because you're our fearless leader! Even if you never evolved into a Raichu, you'd still be the most awesome Pikachu ever!_

_"__-Psymon"_

Nate blinked at the message, but before he could write a response, more words started showing up.

_"__We would never have had hope to grow as strong as we have without Martha's and your guidance. Not just ourself, but everyone on this team._

_"__-Regina"_

_"__We know that you can save the world, Nate. No matter how much you may deny it, I don't think Ian and Nate were that different from each other after all. Either way, you always cared for everybody and stayed determined to protect the innocent._

_"__-Yrja"_

_"__You can always fight through anybody in your way! Anybody who's beaten me isn't allowed to give up! If I hear that you lose, I'm going to have to evolve and fly to Temporal Tower to beat up Dialga myself and then whip you into shape!_

_"__-Tempest"_

_"__While I still don't like the con that you ran, you showed me that not __all__ exploration teams are self-serving crooks. Thanks for that._

_"__-Augustus"_

_"__Guess I should apologize about the skull-clubbing I gave yer clone a while back. I thought I was protectin' the future my Natalie would grow up in. But it was always you protectin' us. I'll always be grateful, Nate._

_"__-Tisha"_

_"__My instinct has never led me wrong before, but I never imagined I would be on a team where one of my leaders went to save the world. I always thought there was greatness in you, Nate, but I was wrong. You __are_ _great! _

_"__-Maribel"_

_"__Reach deep down and bring out that power from your half-pint body I'm still trying to catch up to! If you can do that, you'll never lose!_

_"__-Terrence"_

_"__You gave me a second chance when nobody else would, even when you barely knew me, and I'll always remember my promise to you. Be sure to deck Dialga extra hard for me!_

_"__-Wattson"_

_"__Even though I haven't known you all that long, I think I speak for everybody when I say that we'll always have your back. Even if we can't be there with you, know that we'll be there in spirit. Can you feel our faith in you?_

_"__-Ferra"_

_"__Nate, all this time you've been looking out for me. I bet you're worried about how I'll go on without you. But I'm going to be strong! You taught me a lot of what I know about being an explorer and how to handle things, and I'll use that! So don't worry about me, because I'll keep leading our team, even if you disappear! I'll never forget you, Nate. You say that you were lucky to know me, and I was lucky to have met you. You taught me what courage is. You helped me form a team, and brave new challenges. You're my best friend, and I'll miss you, but I won't be weak anymore._

_"__Thank you, for everything._

_"__-Martha"_

Nate read through each team's messages, and he did feel each one of them with him. He didn't feel alone anymore. A tear went down the side of his face from the sheer happiness he felt. But another tremor shook the tower soon after he finished reading the messages.

He quickly wiped his face and then wrote on his own page.

_"__I was just going to give a status update, but thank you—for your kind words, and your faith in me. I can't write much more. The tremors are getting more frequent. I'll write back when I've stopped the destruction of Temporal Tower."_

Nate quickly stuck the feather in like a bookmark and closed the Adventure Log before forming a 50% Substitute for an extra set of eyes and an extra sentry to use Thunder Wave. As they both ran, Nate ate half an Oran Berry and created another 50% clone running alongside the duo.

With the knowledge already planted in them, the two didn't need instruction to act as his guards. The trio of Nates traveled through the upper portion of Temporal Tower, sacrificing mobility for dealing with opposition swifter.

With each of the doubles using Thunder Wave, Nate was able to recuperate from the dip in energy and look for the stairs on each floor. Even the Salamence and Metagross in the Temporal Spire didn't get in his way with the sentries at his side. Only the Porygon-Z posed a slight problem, having Discharge, but like the original, the substitutes resisted electric attacks. And after the Virtual Pokémon was dispatched, Nate could feed them more energy to compensate for their slight damage.

Once they saw light up ahead, each of them used Agility to clear the stairs in a matter of moments. They came up to the Tower Pinnacle, and immediately noticed that everything was bathed in a red tint.

Up above, the red vortex of clouds had magenta lightning bolts dancing through, seemingly generated from the eye. Even worse, a tremor more severe than the previous ones shook the tower. All three Nates knew that the tower could fall apart at literally any time.

When Nate took in his surroundings, the temple-like atmosphere complete with stone pillars, his vision instantly tunneled when he saw a staircase leading up to what seemed to be an altar. It was constructed out of the same cobalt colored substance, along with strange silver metal and had a round tablet mounted on it. He ran over to the altar, accompanied by his clones. As he got closer, he saw five gear-shaped indentations gouged out of a circular pattern etched into the tablet. The incomplete pattern glowed with an ugly red color, serving as the origin to the patterns on the rest of the tower as they flashed in warning.

Nate reached into his bag as he made to climb up the stairs, but a lightning bolt from above struck the step right in front of him, knocking all three of them back with the shock wave.

Once he collected himself, the area went dark. Nate made a "tch" sound, having been hoping to avoid something like this.

A loud growl sounded over the pinnacle before a powerful voice spoke hatefully, "SO! IT'S YOU! YOU SEEK THE DESTRUCTION OF TEMPORAL TOWER!"

The two clones closed ranks around the original, their cheeks sparking as they readied for battle. Nate called out, "I know you won't listen to me with time stopping, so I won't even bother trying to argue."

"TIME… STOPPING… TIME…!"

To the sound of a mighty roar, light flooded the area again, becoming blindingly bright for a moment, and once it faded, Dialga stood in front of the trio.

He looked every bit as imposing as their shared memories of Primal Dialga. The gargantuan Pokémon towered over Nate and his cobalt skin had red patterns crisscrossing along the unarmored portions of his body. The gem on his chest – ordinarily blue, if the mural was correct – glowed as red as his eyes.

They took a step back as Dialga roared again and got ready to battle. The clones stuck close to Nate because if the original took a grievous wound, with no Reviver Seeds, they would fail.

"YOU! YOU DARE BRING RUIN TO THE TOWER!" he shouted.

"Noooo, that's not it! Pleeease, you have to believe me!" Nate dramatically said, knowing it would make no difference.

"SILENCE!" Dialga growled loudly, readying for battle, "FOR ALL THOSE WHO THREATEN TEMPORAL TOWER… I WILL SHOW NO MERCY!"

Dialga roared again, and Nate noted that his heart was in the right place, but his mind was slipping. 'So he's not quite as far gone as Primal Dialga… Hmm… Maybe a little percussive maintenance will fix him up long enough for me to get to the altar.'

Dialga roared again and began his attack.

Nate concentrated and used Double Team, using it as a cover to form another Substitute as his other two hid among the clones. Dialga's claws glowed and lengthened as he swiped at the rapidly expanding group. A handful of them fizzled out, but more replaced them, growing into an encompassing circle.

Growling, Dialga broke apart a pillar with Ancient Power and sent the fragments combing through the ranks of illusions. He spotted one that ducked down and raised his foot to stomp down on it, but while he was distracted, the three others jumped and latched onto him, before shocking him with Thunder.

Meanwhile, the one left on the ground started charging Focus Punch. Dialga roared in pain and frustration before shaking off the three other Nates. As his torso gem glowed and his tail crest expanded, one Nate quickly called the others over before the two threw up Light Screens. They needed to stay on the side away from the altar, or one of Dialga's attacks could destroy it and ruin their chances of placing the Time Gears.

The fourth briefly thought of abandoning attack and seeking strategic retreat, but then squashed that thought and rushed forward, determined to connect and damage Dialga before being eliminated.

The clone managed to strike right before Dialga fired his own attack. But, even with the powerful attack, at only a quarter the strength Dialga managed to shrug it off and went on to blast the temporal beam of energy at all four of the Nates, eclipsing the entire half of the pinnacle that they were standing on.

* * *

Still watching from where she stood frozen, the Umbreon internally smiled as she saw the indigo beam of energy blast from the tower.

'Even if by some miracle of trickery, he isn't disintegrated, there's no way he'll be able to fight after experiencing Dialga's wrath!' She laughed in her mind, 'Like his friend before him!'

While she was celebrating Nate's defeat, Martha heard an odd sound. If she could move, her brow would furrow. She knew that sound from somewhere.

Following the strange sound, there was the sound of heavy footfalls and a sigh of relief, accompanied by an annoying (and strikingly familiar) droning sound. A couple more steps were heard and a voice said, "Hope they make it. We haven't got much time!"

A chill went down Martha's spine. '_I know that voice_.'

The sound from earlier echoed again, and there were more footsteps and wing flaps now. She so desperately wanted to turn around to confirm whether or not what she was hearing was true. But the only confirmation that she needed was when an orb of light appeared from her body.

'No,' she denied to herself. More light orbs started floating from her body, 'No, no, _no, no, nonoNONONO_! **_NO_****!** This _cannot_ be **_happening_**! He _betrayed_ me! I cannot have been so _weak-__**minded**_!'

There was a new sound, a shimmering one, and another irritatingly familiar voice groaned before speaking up, "Ugh… The timelines must've overlapped. Good. You're all here. Nate's fighting Dialga now. We need to hurry!"

"Don't blame us, hon," another feminine voice said. "Can't be easy to be the last ones through the gate with those Sableye varmints an' the big hoss on guard now."

The sound echoed through the ruins again as Martha was well on her way to disappearing now. After that, the dimensional hole – for that was why it was familiar – disappeared. No more words were exchanged. Two mighty wing beats along with smaller wing flaps and buzzing sounded off before three shadows, one large and two small, sailed across her view. They were headed for Temporal Tower right as the Roar of Time was ending.

Before Martha disappeared completely, she heard a fluttering sound and a voice sounded right behind her, next to her ear.

"I told you that you would meet your end soon. You were already dead, murderer."

Martha spent her last thought screaming a curse at the pink figure that flew past her to catch up with the others before she dissolved into light. The Stun Seed, the only evidence of her presence, crumbled into powder that blew away on the wind before it even hit the ground.

* * *

The attack practically tore through Nate's Light Screen like tissue paper. His other two clones were wiped from existence and Nate put up another Light Screen, trying to condense it around him so that he didn't meet the same fate.

The attack seemed to go on for an eternity. Nate felt his shield beginning to crack and split, the temporal energy eating away at it, but he put all of his energy into maintaining it. This must have been the point where he failed last time. But if he lived, he could still fight!

The attack seemed to go on for whole minutes, but Nate knew it was the illusion of Dialga's attack. A few seconds in the temporal storm was usually all it took to tear one apart. If Dialga could keep up the attack for minutes, it would feel like he was being attacked over _hours_ of time.

Even with the relatively short duration, Nate felt his strength rapidly ebbing away as he tried to put more into the Light Screen. As soon as the attack was finally over, Nate immediately dropped it to save what energy he could.

Nate fell to all fours, desperate to catch his breath. He tried reaching for a berry, but collapsed to the ground.

'It's… too… much…!'

He looked up despairingly as Dialga was breathing hard himself. If he wasn't so exhausted, this would be the perfect time for Nate to retaliate.

He thought back to his team, counting on him to succeed.

'No…! I… can't give up…!' Nate tried to pull himself up, managing to grab half an Oran Berry. But he fell back to the ground, the healing item falling out of his grasp. Every muscle in his body screamed in pain from trying the basic action. He couldn't do this alone…

After almost a minute, Dialga roared, back to full strength. Nate could only lament his failure.

"Grovyle… Celebi… Martha… I'm… sorry…"

"Don't worry! We'll _always_ have your back, Nate."

Nate's ears rose at the distant voice. No… It couldn't be. He must be hallucinating from his near-death state—except Dialga was no longer looking at him, turned towards the edge of the pinnacle. Wing beats could barely be heard over the edge.

"I know we said we'd be there in spirit, but I think we can do better than that!"

Nate forced his head to turn, looking where Dialga's gaze was, and seeing an Aerodactyl – no, Terrence steadily rising over the edge. He was quite larger than when Nate last saw him, and he had three smaller flying Pokémon behind him. A Staravia, a Vibrava…

Nate blinked and shook his head, trying to wake up as he looked at the third Pokémon. She had died right in front of him! She couldn't be back!

Celebi waved awkwardly, "Hi, Nate."

Dialga used Ancient Power, sending stones at them, but Terrence's eyes glowed blue. The stones changed their path and started orbiting around him as they sharpened into rough diamond shapes. Then he returned the attack as a Stone Edge. The attack did little against Dialga's steel hide, but it bought enough time for Terrence, Maribel, Tempest and Celebi to land.

After he landed, other Pokémon got off of his back. A Marowak, and…

Martha.

Even though she was still an Umbreon, she was clearly different from the one that Nate had seen mere moments ago—her bearing, her smile, and the amethyst necklace that she wore once again with her badge mounted on it. He simply couldn't believe that she was somehow really here.

Dialga roared and fired his Roar of Time at the new party, but Terrence spread his wings around and over the group, calling up a Protect shield to defend them.

Nate's eyes widened and he slammed a fist into the ground, forcing himself to stand, even as he swayed and took the berry half from the ground before crunching it down. Filled with new energy, even with his half-broken body, he yelled, "You leave them alone!"

Nate shot a Thunder at Dialga as he continued using Roar of Time and the attack forced the deity to cut his own prematurely.

After the attack wore out, and Dialga was left panting, another voice spoke up. One that Nate never thought he'd hear again.

"You've fought alone long enough, partner. Let us handle Dialga. You get the Time Gears to the altar."

A green blur jumped over the side, evidently having climbed up the side of the tower. Nate unfortunately didn't have time to greet his oldest friend. He held his bag containing Time Gears close and started limping his way to move around Dialga.

Both Martha and Grovyle took the lead while the rest spread out. Dialga sent fragments of the pillars at Nate with Ancient Power as his claws lengthened to use Dragon Claw, but a bone club span through the air, shattering the stones into dust before hitting Dialga in the side of the head, causing him to growl loudly in irritation. After it bounced off, Tisha jumped and retrieved it out of the air.

Once she landed, she extended her club and held it like a bo staff as she taunted, "C'mon ya overgrown, steel-hided Girafarig, show me what ya got!"

Tisha joined Martha and Grovyle's attack using Bone Rush to accompany Martha's Dark Pulse and Grovyle's Leaf Blade. They couldn't reach very high on Dialga's body, so Tisha took the lead, forcing Dialga to take a knee by vigorously attacking his leg.

As the trio of Pokémon attacked his front, Maribel, Tempest and Terrence attacked him from the air. Terrence bit into the side of Dialga's neck with Fire Fang while Tempest used Dragon Breath on his back. Maribel flew high into the sky in a somersault and careened down, being enveloped in flames before they turned into a radiant blue glow. With the preparation complete, Maribel charged into Dialga's freshly burnt back with Brave Bird.

Celebi clasped her hands together as she fluttered in the air and her eyes glowed blue for a moment before they returned to normal. Once that was set, she waved her hands and broke another pillar to use as ammo against Dialga with Ancient Power.

Dialga roared and was covered in a white glow, before it shattered and the fragments condensed into a shining orb. He shot it at Terrence before firing an Aura Sphere right after. But Terrence didn't raise Protect right away. Instead, his wing glowed and he batted the Metal Burst away with Steel Wing. Then he called up a Protect barrier to shield against the Aura Sphere.

Nate had reached the steps leading up to the altar, but he had to maintain his balance as the fierce battle was shaking the tower pinnacle. Dialga noticed that Nate was almost at the altar and turned, getting ready to fire a Roar of Time at him.

Team Rapid, along with Grovyle and Celebi, gathered between the Temporal Pokémon and Nate. As Dialga charged up, Maribel used Sunny Day, strengthening Grovyle as he charged his own attack.

Martha started gathering dark energy in a vortex, shadows forming into a sphere in front of her mouth, Terrence and Tempest had raw energy gathering in their mouths as they readied Hyper Beam, Tisha had flames gathering in her mouth and Grovyle was rapidly drawing energy from the sun into his head leaf. Once they were done, they fired the attacks into the vortex, causing the Shadow Ball to grow exponentially.

With a mighty roar, Dialga fired his most devastating attack, and the Pokémon from the future retaliated with their combined attack. The giant Shadow Ball still had a ring of darkness around it, but it shone from inside with glowing yellow fire. The two attacks met head on and reached a standstill.

Dialga continued his stream of temporal energy, beginning to force the attack back before Martha and Grovyle started hitting the sphere again with Hyper Beam and Solar Beam, while Celebi sent a telekinetic wave with Psychic, pushing it forward again.

Even so, there seemed to be a deadlock between the two attacks, neither making progress. Nate put in the third Time Gear, taking another one and jumping to reach the higher slots. Maribel quickly came to his aid by grabbing the Time Gear in her talons and turning it to fit into the hole.

The trio of Pokémon from the future started wearing out while Dialga still seemed to have energy to spare, but Celebi was counting down in her mind.

'Three… Two… One…!'

She called out, "Martha! Grovyle! Squeeze out the last bit you can, now!"

As the trio did just that, it only made marginal progress. But a rainbow orb of psychic energy came in from behind Dialga. Once it struck the back of his head, Dialga faltered, the stream of his attack disrupted momentarily.

'NOW!' all three Pokémon thought. They capitalized on the moment and pushed forward even harder. Dialga roared, trying to make up for the lost ground, but it was too late. The combined attack hit him and eclipsed him in an explosion.

Maribel grabbed the last Time Gear from Nate and turned it to place in the last indentation. Both of them watched hopefully as the tablet was eclipsed in a white glow before the Time Gears melded into the stone, changing into its color and completing the pattern. The restored pattern glowed in the same color as the Time Gears now and the patterns on the rest of the altar changed as well.

The smoke faded around Dialga to reveal him panting hard and on one knee. He tried to stand, but wound up falling to the ground, growling weakly.

Suddenly, the tower started shaking fiercely, the storm above growing even more intense. Maribel dodged out of the way of a purple lightning bolt that nearly struck her, and all of the Pokémon gathered up.

"What's going on?!" Tempest shouted.

Grovyle looked at the completed tablet, "You put in the Time Gears! That should've fixed everything!"

"No…" Celebi muttered, "Were we too late?"

Lightning struck one of the remaining pillars, breaking the top half off, and a fissure split the ground near the altar while more purple lightning rained down.

"Everybody, to me!" Terrence called.

The group gathered closer, and Terrence covered them with his wings, forming a green Protect barrier in a dome as a flash of light flared through the entire area. Everybody shut their eyes as the light temporarily blinded them.

Once the light cleared, the Pokémon from the future still took some time to blink the spots out of their eyes. Terrence hesitantly lowered the barrier, and everybody looked around. There were no more tremors, and the pinnacle wasn't bathed in the red glow from the storm. In fact, the storm had vanished.

"D… Did we do it?" Maribel gingerly asked.

"YES, YOU HAVE."

Everybody turned, surprised and afraid that Dialga was standing again. Even though he looked tamer with the red patterns gone and his gem blue, Tisha stood at the front-line while Terrence tried to look as imposing as possible, even though he was less than half the Temporal Pokémon's size.

"YOU HAVE NO CAUSE FOR ALARM. I HAVE REGAINED MY REASON."

The group relaxed, but only slightly.

Dialga continued, "TEMPORAL TOWER HAS TAKEN HEAVY DAMAGE… BUT IT HAS SURVIVED. NOW, OBSERVE."

The blue gem on Dialga's chest glowed white and everybody saw a vision. A forest glade was shown; wind blew, dew fell from the leaves, it looked the way any forest should.

Grovyle said with wonder, "This is Treeshroud Forest…"

"Time is all fixed up!" Tisha said happily.

Next the group was shown a view of Treasure Town, Martha laughed in relief, "Ha-ha, everybody in Treasure Town! They're fine! Everything's back to normal!"

When a vision of the Hidden Land in pieces and Temporal Tower with pieces missing from it was shown, Nate commented, "Temporal Tower… We stopped its destruction right before the worst happened."

When the visions faded, the Pokémon looked up at Dialga. He declared, "TEMPORAL TOWER HAS SURVIVED THE CRISIS. TIME HAS RETURNED TO NORMAL HERE… THUS, TIME HAS RESUMED IN PLACES WHERE IT HAD STOPPED. BECAUSE YOU STOPPED THE RUIN OF TEMPORAL TOWER… THE PLANET'S PARALYSIS HAS BEEN PREVENTED. THE WORLD'S PEACE… HAS BEEN RESTORED. ALLOW ME TO THANK YOU. I THANK YOU, NATE, FOR REACHING THE HIDDEN LAND, AND ALL OF YOU FOR COMING IN HIS HOUR OF NEED. YOU PREVENTED THE RUIN OF TEMPORAL TOWER IN THE NICK OF TIME. THANK YOU. ALL THIS, I OWE YOU."

The group let out a collective sigh of relief, looking about ready to collapse and just wait for the end, before Nate remembered something.

"Wait," he said, catching everybody's attention. "I'm not done. There's still something I promised to do."

Grovyle and Celebi looked confused while the members of Team Rapid perked up and started moving again.

"That's right!" Tempest recalled. "Quick, let's fly to the bottom of Temporal Tower!"

"Actually…" Nate said, "before that…"

He took out his necklace and badge and slipped it around his neck. This time, only Martha recognized the significance of the gesture, but she looked really happy.

Dialga nodded, "THAT'S JUST AS WELL, AS I MUST SEE TO THE REPAIR OF TEMPORAL TOWER. FAREWELL."

* * *

When words started appearing, the rest of the Pokémon knew that the world was safe, even though others were shouting it outside. They had wanted to hear it from Nate.

But they also knew that Nate wouldn't come back after this message.

* * *

_"__It's done. Temporal Tower remains standing, and the planet's paralysis has been averted. I had help. As corny as this sounds, your determination to help me lasted"_

After asking Martha, he got a more precise approximation.

_"__537 years. You all came from the future to help me when I couldn't take anymore. Words can't express how grateful I am. In a weird, roundabout way, you all really were with me at the end. Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you. Even after I disappear, I swear that I'll never forget any of you. Continue the good work; I'll be watching from wherever I am._

_"__-Nate"_

Slipping the Adventure Log back into the statue's mouth, Nate sat down with his friends, talking with them about everything and nothing. A brief tremor momentarily disrupted them, and they worried for a moment, but decided that Temporal Tower must still be settling back to normal.

While Nate was discussing his luck with the Pokémon in Temporal Tower, he realized something.

"Wait a minute," Nate said, standing up in a hurry. "Dusknoir! If he's alive, he could've gone back and-"

"Dusknoir was taken care of long before we came here, Nate," Martha reassured.

Nate didn't understand, and Grovyle commented, "Your partner's knowledge of events that would happen became quite useful. Dusknoir – or rather, Duskull, at the time – was recruited into the resistance very early on. He became _their_ spy in Primal Dialga's ranks."

"Who do you think held off Primal Dialga while we came here?" Tempest asked.

Nate was stunned speechless for a moment before he did something that Team Rapid, Grovyle and Celebi had never seen him do before.

He laughed. Not a chuckle, nor a mocking one, a genuine laugh that rang out over the sky. He fell onto his back as he panted from exhaustion and the effects of changing history beginning to wear on him, "Leave it to you, Martha, to recruit my greatest enemy and make him an integral ally."

Martha lay down, curling around Nate's smaller form, "It's what you would've done if you were in my position."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Nate said. "I don't always make the best decisions. My actions in the past 48 _hours_ doomed two timelines before everything settled back down."

"'Two'?" Maribel asked.

Nate realized what he'd let slip and tried to backpedal, but at everyone's insistence, he sighed and said, "There was a twisted version of Martha, and let's leave it at that." It would be extremely disturbing to mention what that one did, considering her victims are right here. Celebi seemed to know, but didn't say anything, thankfully.

They continued talking, even when all of them started to feel the exhaustion. The conversation only stopped when an orb of light appeared from Terrence's body. Everybody noticed, but didn't say anything. The time had come.

"Heh," Terrence chuckled. "Go figure I'd be first; it'll take more time to disappear all of _this_." He weakly flexed his wings as he sat on the ground, still chuckling. Maribel went over to comfort him, even as light started coming off from her body too.

Everybody wound up pairing together as light emitted from their forms at varying rates. Grovyle held Celebi in his arms, the pink time traveler trying to hide her blush, but too weak to say anything. Maribel perched on Terrence's arm and the two of them leaned their heads together, both of them with their eyes closed, just enjoying each other's presence in their final moments.

Tisha and Tempest sat side-by-side, Tempest huffing and saying, "Wish I had time to slap my past self silly for not swallowing his pride and telling her."

"That'd be a paradox. Either way, ya'd wind up on opposite sides o' the timestream in the end," Tisha pointed out while patting him on the back. "I just wish I could see my sis one more time. The day she evolved, I never felt prouder o' my little Natalie."

Maribel vanished first, quickly followed by Tempest. Terrence disappeared, his body temporarily a beacon as the rest of him dissolved into light. Grovyle and Celebi's light seemed to dissipate together, and Tisha closed her eyes, wishing for the past Natalie's safety as she, too, evaporated into orbs of light.

Martha and Nate held on the longest, not moved from their previous position, and not speaking while they waited.

As more of their bodies dematerialized, Martha muttered, "…Nate?"

"Yeah…?" he weakly said in response.

"I… love you…"

Nate paused, knowing that she did, but still surprised she said it. As the last of them turned to pure light, Nate whispered, "And I… y-"

The two of them broke apart into orbs of light, with only the sound of Nate's falling necklace interrupting the shimmer of their disappearance.

* * *

Martha knew. Somewhere deep in her soul, she knew that Nate was no longer in this world. She stared over the ocean as she sat on the beach near Treasure Town. It wasn't quite sunset yet, but it was getting close. If she waited a few more hours, the Krabby would be coming to blow bubbles at the sunset.

Martha closed her eyes as she gave a moment of silence for Nate before standing up. She didn't come here to feel sorry for herself—only to honor Nate's memory.

She had promised, after all.

'I'll be strong, Nate.'

* * *

Three months had come and gone while Martha led her team to rescue Pokémon, explore new dungeons with the clients who discovered them and arrest outlaws.

The very next day, Martha gave the order to have everybody in Team Rapid tell the story of what happened to avert the planet's paralysis. The world had literally been on the brink of ruin, and she had to make sure that nothing like that ever happened again. Everybody told it to those who would listen in Treasure Town, to their clients on missions, and to traveling Kecleon merchants in mystery dungeons.

They didn't spare any details, either. They told of how Nate had to lie because nobody would believe him, how the Pokémon of this time wound up helping ensure their own doom by capturing Grovyle, how Nate wound up having to wait until the state of the world literally could not be denied, and his fate for completing his mission. It wasn't a happy story, but it told of a fight for peace—a hope for future peace.

The world healed from the scars of time's near destruction and the Pokémon of the world eventually returned to their cheerful routines. This, of course, meant that it was back to the rigorous training at Wigglytuff's Guild for Martha.

Under Martha's leadership, Team Rapid climbed through the ranks at an unprecedented pace. In the time since Nate had left, Martha had achieved Diamond Rank and soon went on to rise to Super Rank.

One evening, as all the other apprentices were reporting back from their daily work, Martha instead left to go out.

Bidoof noticed and called, "Howdy, Martha. Going out?"

"Yes," Martha nodded. "I'm going for a walk."

"Sounds nice, yup yup," Bidoof agreed. "It'll be dinnertime soon, though. You don't want to be late for that!"

Martha gave a light laugh, "True, true. I'll only be a moment."

She walked over to the beach, and was surprised to see the Krabby blowing bubbles as usual. The Eevee looked around, marveling at the sight. She had never had time to come here with the guild's training schedule.

'In fact,' she thought, 'I think the last time that I saw this was…' She smiled fondly, "It was when I met Nate…"

"Finally, I have you all alone…"

Martha whipped around at the voice, her stance guarded as an inky pool of darkness slithered from behind the rocks. As the shadows writhed, a familiar Pokémon started rising from the mass of shadows.

"D-Dusknoir!" Martha uttered in disbelief. "How…?! The planet's paralysis was stopped! You shouldn't be here!"

Dusknoir held up his hands in a placating gesture as his lower body still rose, "Calm down; you'll scare the Krabby away. I've grown rather fond of this sight while I waited for you."

Martha kept her guard up, but her mind started processing what Dusknoir's return could mean. Her eyes widened, "Wait… If _you're_ back, then that means…?"

"Yes," Dusknoir answered as his tail emerged. "I waited to find you alone, because he wanted you to make the decision without any influence from your peers."

Dusknoir turned around to face the entrance to Beach Cave. His hands glowed with an otherworldly energy, black with blue lines of energy twisting through the mass, and he shot both of them forward. When the two blasts met in the air a short distance away, there was a flash of light and a warbling sound. When the light faded, Martha was looking at a dimensional hole, the warbling rings of blue energy continuously traveling into the dark portal from the hole's outline.

Martha watched in awe as a figure eventually emerged from the dimensional hole, who, despite his best efforts, still face-planted in the sand. Regardless, he stood up and brushed off his face before opening his eyes. Martha noticed that he had kept his promise. A blue crystal necklace glimmered in the setting sun, with a Gold Rank Explorer Badge mounted on the center of the oval gem.

"N… Nate?"

"Hi, Martha," he greeted nervously.

Martha looked like she was conflicted whether to hug him for coming back or tackle him for not being back sooner. Dusknoir started floating towards the path leading to Treasure Town.

"I'll keep watch from the shadows to ensure there are no interruptions," he offered. "Call me when you've made your decision."

The two partners stared at each other for a bit, before Martha demanded, "Tell me something only Nate would know!"

"Vigilant, very good," Nate praised with a nod. "Something only _I_ would know, hmm?" He put his hand to his chin in thought before adopting a mischievous smile, "Before you started habitually waking up early, I'd greet you every sunrise with a light zap to your spine."

Martha laughed, unable to believe this surreal conversation as she shook her head, "Ticked me off good every time…"

"Would you rather have had the _other_ alarm clock?" Nate asked in a deadpan tone.

Remembering the pain her ears went through on that day, Martha shook her head. The two of them shared a laugh before Martha's expression grew slightly more serious.

"Nate," she asked, "what did Dusknoir mean by 'my decision'? And how are you and him back?"

Nate shook his head, "Even Dialga himself – who is much saner now, by the way – isn't quite sure what happened. All he knows is that a higher power wanted to keep us around. Me, Grovyle, Celebi, Dusknoir, the Team Rapid of the future, everybody from the future of darkness returned with time being restored after 500 years of the planet's paralysis. My personal guess is that the old timeline separated and now lives side-by-side with this one. It would certainly explain why _my_ badge hasn't updated its rank. But that brings me to what your decision is."

"I'm afraid that nobody from the team can come with me back to the alternate timeline, as that would cause a paradox," Nate explained. "But… do _you_ want me to stay here with you?"

Martha blinked and tilted her head, sure that she had misheard, "…What?"

"This whole journey, neither of us ever really had a choice in the matter," Nate outlined. "This time, I'm giving the choice to you. Should I stay here?"

The question stunned Martha speechless. Her mouth moved a few times, like she would answer, but no sound came out. Soon, she looked down, seeming to give the question some serious thought. Nate waited patiently for Martha to come to her decision.

At length, Martha spoke up, "I… You probably know how desperately I want to say yes."

"…'But'?" he prompted.

"'But,'" Martha agreed with a nod before continuing. "But… I can't just pretend that I didn't promise because you're miraculously back from… whatever happened to you. I'm touched that you would give me this chance, and I couldn't be happier that you're alive, but… I can't rely on you forever."

Nate wordlessly walked over and pulled Martha into a hug. Martha rested her head on his shoulder, and he said, "I understand. I'll never forget the time that I spent with you training at the guild."

The two pulled apart and looked at each other for a bit before calling out, "Dusknoir!"

The Ghost Pokémon came back to the beach, saying, "You've decided, then? Bidoof was coming by, but a simple Confuse Ray had him forget what he was coming here for."

Martha nodded, "I appreciate the offer, but Nate belongs in his own timeline. I have to learn to stand on my own."

"I see." Dusknoir nodded and floated towards the dimensional hole, turning to wait for Nate, "Shall we?"

Nate pulled Martha in for one more hug before breaking away and nodding to Dusknoir. Once he was at the portal, he turned and waved, "Goodbye, Martha. Good luck with your explorations!"

"You too!" Martha called back. "Good luck in the future!"

Nate nodded and turned, walking into the portal and disappearing. Dusknoir followed shortly after, and the portal closed with a shimmering sound.

Martha watched the space where the dimensional hole was for a moment before nodding and saying, "I will be strong, Nate. I'll be the best explorer ever!"

With that said, Martha turned around and started heading back to the guild.

* * *

**It's done.**

**_Such _****a feeling of accomplishment fills me for finishing this story. Thank you, all of you, for reading this story and reviewing. Especially ProfessorLugia, Tatopatato, Philip Harbindinger, Tony Anderson, and PsychicEevee103, thank you for giving me support through writing this story. Also, though it might not have been as much support, Antex-the-Legendary-Zoroark, Seas and Shadows, Ryuukuchi, Ultimate Black Ace, flashyhero, Kiri Kaitou Clover, OblivionWings, DeltaMLP, Emblem of Light, Caelys, Pikachu564 and Grey917. I'm glad that my story was such a good one for your reading enjoyment. I'm going to be taking some time to hopefully finish some of the other incomplete stories that I have. But, there is one thing that some of you readers may look forward to.**

**When I started this fanfic, I had no intention of writing out the post-game content because I couldn't see a way to make it new and interesting. Well, now I have. Nate's mission is done. Now it's Martha's turn. It'll be Her Story.**

**It probably won't be soon. But it ****_will_**** happen.**

**See you when I see you.**

**-AeroJester203**


	22. Author's Note

**Hey-o! Just a quick notice to those who follow/fave this story, but not my account. I figured some might be interested to know that there's a story that cover's the events that Martha and Team Rapid went through after Nate wrote back.**

**(On a side note, For the Mission now has a TV Tropes page. :D Give it a look if you want.)**

**For those who might be confused on the Timey-Wimey Ball that is the final two chapters, here's the cliffnotes version:**

* * *

**Timeline 0: Nate and Grovyle don't travel back in time. Without Nate around, Martha manages to muster the courage to stand up to Koffing and Zubat in Beach Cave, but only because the Relic Fragment meant more to her than her own safety. Inspired by the brief flash of courage, she joins Wigglytuff's Guild. It's a much closer shave with Drowzee, since she only found out when the data was updated, but Martha was just as vicious in his beatdown as she would be in Timeline 1.**

**With nobody doing anything to remedy the situation, the planet's paralysis takes hold and Martha's is one of numerable exploration teams that get executed for trying to find a way to fix the planet's paralysis. Nate and Grovyle are born and travel back in time to kick off Timeline 1.**

* * *

**Timeline 1: Nate meets Martha and the events are the same up until he decides to knock her out, aside from Martha's presence at Grovyle's death at Dialga's hands.**

**Nate manages to deal with the Sableye that ambush him and Celebi at the Old Ruins in short order, and he and Celebi manage to weaken Dusknoir to the point where he tries using Shadow Ball. But Nate simply taps into his Killing Intent-fueled dark attacks to bat the projectile back to Dusknoir. He takes a fatal blow, and Nate is set to finish him for fear of being caught between Dialga and Dusknoir if the Ghost Pokémon's left alone. But Celebi senses a trick from Dusknoir and moves between him and Nate when he fires his attack. As Nate arcs the electricity over her, Dusknoir had already launched a Destiny Bond attack that Celebi intercepted. Both die and while Nate is distraught that he inadvertently killed his ally, he can only pick himself up and continue.**

**Nate doesn't write back in his determination to complete his mission and because he sees little point in writing if he's not coming back. Regardless, he gets overpowered by Dialga and dies, plunging the world into the Future of Darkness.**

**While Martha is still sulking, Team Rapid comes up with the plan to go after Nate to help him. They pitch the idea to Martha and she sneaks out of the guild that night to meet up at Brine Cave. Lapras guides them there and they arrive the following morning to find that the Hidden Land is already paralyzed. Martha immediately runs off by herself to go find Nate, much to the team's dismay.**

**Martha spends the next decade searching every inch of the Hidden Land as it slowly deteriorates. Eventually she arrives at the conclusion that Nate's dead and falls into depression for another year before arriving at a mad conclusion. If she served Dialga, then she could go back in time to before Nate's death and retrieve him—make sure he never left her side again. Throwing away her badge and necklace, she encounters some Sableye that try to bully her. She defeats them all soundly and demands to be taken to Dialga, where she asks to study under him as an apprentice.**

**With her power and determination, she manages to work her way up to Dialga's right-hand position within another year. Dusclops joins sometime after, but is nowhere near Martha's level of power, and she maintains that status to keep Dialga's favor, evolving into an Umbreon when Dusclops evolves into Dusknoir, much to the latter's aggravation.**

**When Martha learns that the Pokémon of the future will disappear if history is changed, she is shocked at first that she can't save Nate. But, having lost much of her mind already, she decided that it was ultimately irrelevant. Recalling the events that lead up to her current state and figuring that Nate will be born sometime soon in this timeline, she begins formulating a careful plan to ensure both their existence.**

**Eventually, Dialga catches wind of a resistance that wishes to change history, and Martha dutifully agrees to investigate, hoping to see if it was Nate. With a plan to report nothing substantial if she sighted Nate, Martha stuck to the shadows in her search. Eventually, she finds out that the resistance is her old team. At first, she's reluctant; but she ultimately decides that their interference will ensure that she gets erased if they talk about her to Nate. And their help to Nate would ensure that he disappeared as well.**

**Putting on a friendly face, she walks right up to the group. She gets spotted and welcomed back, even though a few are slightly angry that she disappeared off the map for so long, with no trace except for her discarded necklace. She pretends to accept the necklace back, even as she plots how to, in her mind, prevent them from keeping her and Nate apart.**

**Martha stays with them for a time, but when everybody goes to sleep, she stays awake. Killing Terrence first in his sleep, as she feared his strength the most, she eliminates Tempest and Augustus as well before Wattson hears and calls everyone to wake up. Evidently his outlaw days made him a light sleeper.**

**The remaining Pokémon wake up, but they're still groggy from sleep. They arrive just in time to see Wattson land a Rolling Kick on Martha before she retaliates with Payback, killing him. That causes the team to fully wake up and converge on her, as they can't escape easily with Terrence and Tempest dead.**

**Even with all of their efforts, Martha ultimately wins at the end. Covered in her former team's blood, she discards the necklace and badge again before burrowing her way out with Dig.**

**When Nate and Grovyle are born, Martha is chosen to pursue them to the past, but she delegates it to Dusknoir, as she can order him to not attack Nate. She saves Grovyle from Spiritomb, but only so that he can lead them to Celebi. With Nate still loose in the past, Martha keenly suggests to Dialga that they simply go back in time to the Old Ruins and wait for Nate to show up. Even if they don't know where he is, he'll have to show up there eventually. Her traveling back in time triggers Timeline 2.**

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**Timeline 2: The timeline with the least amount of differences from the previous, and yet the most terrifying. One where Dark Martha shows up, but Nate doesn't write back to his team anyway, since he didn't think he could lose and he didn't want to waste time when Temporal Tower could collapse any moment.**

**When he loses, he and Martha are locked into a Stable Time Loop where: he travels back, inadvertently creates Dark Martha, she travels back, she loses (dying of starvation, presumably), he dies, Past Martha becomes Dark Martha, Nate's born, repeat.**

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**Timeline 3: Events to be covered in The Future of Little Hope.**

**Timeline 4: Martha decides to have Nate stay, and the canon post-game happens, save for one difference to be discussed later.**

**Timeline 5: Events to be covered in Her Story.**

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**Wow, this note wound up being kinda lengthy! Oh well, hope that explains, and satisfies the curiosity of those who wanted to know what happened with Dark Martha and her team.**

**See you when I see you.**

**-AJ203**


	23. Sequel Note

**Hey, just a bit of news for those who follow this story, but not my profile: Her Story is out.**


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